Margaret Sanger Would Be Proud

1 of Planned Parenthood's dirty little secrets that it tries to hide is the history of its founding & esp the philosophy of its founder, Margaret Sanger. She called for "A stern and rigid policy of sterilization and segregation to that grade of population whose progeny is already tainted or whose inheritance is such that objectionable traits may be transmitted to offspring." ( "A Plan For Peace", Birth Control Review, April 1932, p. 106) In other words, she called for a policy of negative eugenics to rid us of certain population groups.

What population groups did she see see as tainted & having objectional traits that meant that "race hygiene" must be applied to them? Several, those of Mediteranian descent (aimed at my Italiano grandparents) the feeble minded (mentally handicapped), Christians, & blacks are who she had in mind.

Planned Parenthood has effectively continued this policy in a variety of ways over the years. All the while trying to say that they aren't. Well, it looks like some evidence has surfaced to blow the lid off of their cover. Evidence that I highly suspect the Main Stream Media will ignore as it has ignored so much of the evil done by PP in the past.

Racism Alive and Well at Planned Parenthood

(Family Research Council)

A shocking set of recordings was released this week that could prove disastrous for Planned Parenthood's ties with the African-American community. Lila Rose, a pro-life student and reporter at UCLA, launched an undercover investigation aimed at exposing the racism of the nation's largest abortion merchant. With the help of an actor, she contacted Planned Parenthood clinics in seven states, inquiring if they would be willing to accept a donation earmarked for the abortion of black babies. The results were jaw-dropping.

Rose was appalled to discover that every last clinic agreed. Not one employee objected or questioned the request, even when the actor insisted that the purpose was to "lower the number of black people" in America. When the caller phoned an Ohio branch, he was told that Planned Parenthood "will accept the money for whatever reason." Read the outrageous transcript from the Idaho clinic, which is also available with Rose's other recordings in a montage at http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=LK08B57&f=WA08B46.
Actor: ...I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids.

Planned Parenthood: Yes, absolutely.

Actor: And we don't, you know, we just think the less black kids out there the better.

Planned Parenthood: (Laughs) Understandable, understandable... This is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited and want to make sure I don't leave anything out.

Students at UCLA are so infuriated by the investigation that they are petitioning the university to cut all affiliation with Planned Parenthood. What few people realize is that the organization has a history of racism that has been ingrained since Planned Parenthood's earliest days, when founder Margaret Sanger advocated negative eugenics and spoke to a woman's branch of the KKK (Margaret Sanger, An Autobiography, 1938, p. 336-367). However, as is customary for Planned Parenthood, the organization has managed for decades to cover its tracks--and the facts. That task has just been made monumentally more difficult. Abortion has taken the innocent lives of over 14 million black children--a national tragedy that has begun uniting and mobilizing African-Americans across party, state, and financial lines.

Today, FRC hosted a press conference to kick off the National Black Pro-Life Gathering in Washington, D.C. which drew pastors, parents, leaders, and activists from across America to commemorate Black History Month by calling on abortion merchants like Planned Parenthood to stop preying on their community. As these abortion clinics continue to demonstrate that blood money is not colorblind, we call on Congress to de-fund and disavow Planned Parenthood. Taxpayers should not be forced to spend over $300 million on an organization whose scruples are for sale, even to those who seek racial genocide.

You can listen to some of the audio tapes mentioned above here:

You can read more in Issue #3 of Live Action's The Advocate.

You might remember that PP has already threatened a lawsuit against The Advocate for their previous investigation spearheaded by Lila Rose, editor in chief of the magazine. That investigation was about how PP covered up statuatory rapes. They are putting the MSM to shame. They have done more with their shoestring budget to get the truth out that the entire MSM ever has. (Note: They will gladly take much needed donations, info on how to do so can be found at their website.) Clearly, they are not letting PP's threats stop them from courageously doing what needs to be done to get the truth out.

__________________________

Live Action is a Pro-life student organization at UCLA.

The Suicide of Emma Beck and Silence No More

The story of a tragedy that need never have been. But abortion providers continue to deny that Post-Abortion Depression is a real problem that affects women & men. Thanx Michelle for helping to get the truth out. This is why groups like Silent No More & similar groups deserve our support. They help women & men find answers & forgiveness rather that the dispair that abortion providers abandon them to.

(This article was posted Wed 27 February 2008 on Townhall.com)

The Suicide of Emma Beck and Silence No More

by Michelle Malkin

She didn't have to die. And neither did her unborn children. Over the weekend, London newspapers reported on the 2007 suicide of 30-year-old Emma Beck, a young British artist who hung herself after the abortion of her twin babies. Perhaps the retelling of her suffering can prevent more needless deaths.
The agony and loneliness in Emma Beck's suicide note resonate across the pond, across racial and class lines, across generations. She was distraught over a breakup with her boyfriend, who didn't want the children. She was suffering intense grief from her decision to end the lives inside her. And so she ended her own.

"I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum," Beck wrote. "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies -- they need me, no one else does."
Beck's family blames the medical establishment. The judicial system, as is so often the case, has become a coping mechanism. A British court recently held a hearing on Beck's suicide. Beck's mother revealed that her daughter "was not given the opportunity to see a counselor."
When a professional "counselor" can't be found, isn't that what mothers are for?
But it's not just jaded abortion providers and medical assistants, AWOL counselors and MIA parents who need to look in the mirror. We have tolerated a culture of callousness and nurtured an entitlement to convenience for decades. Feminists shush women with post-abortion regrets. Population control zealots and Planned Parenthood drum it into the heads of young women around the world: "The fewer, the merrier" and "Why carry more burdens?" their T-shirts and bumper stickers proclaim.
Last fall, in Emma Beck's homeland, the British press went gaga over an environmental nitwit who had an abortion and got her tubes tied to "protect the planet." She told the London Daily Mail: "Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land, more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of over-population."
That came on the heels of a British think tank report on how children are bad for the environment. Said John Guillebaud, emeritus professor of family planning at University College London: "The effect on the planet of having one child less is an order of magnitude greater than all these other things we might do, such as switching off lights. The greatest thing anyone in Britain could do to help the future of the planet would be to have one less child."
And who gets premium op-ed space in America's newspaper of record to talk about abortion? Idiots like University of Iowa adjunct assistant writing professor Brian Goedde, who shared his festive thoughts surrounding the New Year's Eve before his girlfriend's abortion in an essay a few months ago in The New York Times. "The abortion is scheduled for two days from now, and we're holing up," he reminisced. "We do the dishes brush our teeth, climb into bed and have unprotected sex. 'I'm not going to get more pregnant,' Emily says. I've never felt pleasure more guiltily."
What you rarely hear are the voices telling you that such self-indulgence is wrong. What you rarely read are the stories of untold women (and men) around the world who know the vaunted choice they made was wrong and need help. What you rarely see are the studies showing that with abortion come lifelong costs and consequences -- high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, grief, ostracism, guilt and, in at least one study in Finland, higher suicide rates.
Delivering that message here in the United States are preventive groups like the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (nifla.org), which donates ultrasound equipment and training to open up a "window to the womb" for women in crisis pregnancies, and post-abortion healing organizations like Silent No More (silentnomoreawareness.org). To combat abortion glorifiers, the Silent No More Awareness campaign makes the public aware that abortion is emotionally, physically and spiritually harmful to women and others; reaches out to women who are hurting from an abortion and lets them know help is available; and invites women to join us in speaking the truth about abortion's negative consequences.
What Emma Beck most needed to hear is the message abortion pushers most desperately want to drown out: You are not alone.

Michelle Malkin asks the following question about the lawsuit by Emma Beck's mother: "When a professional "counselor" can't be found, isn't that what mothers are for?" Good question, where was the mother when Ms. Beck needed her? Apparently she knew about the abortion & didn't do anything to stop or discourage her daughter. Now that the mother can profit, she shows up. I'd like to know if the mother thought the counselor option was needed before her daughter died. Or just now, when she can sue?

As an Iowa Boy I was saddened to see the way the U of Iowa professor bragged about helping his girlfriend commit murder. Saddened, not surprized. This is typical of a majority of those at Iowa.

William F. Buckley Jr. 1925-2008

By now everyone knows that William F. Buckley has passed away. & everyone has been telling stories of what a great conservative hero he was. This is all true. So, I won't bother to go over what everyone else has said. Instead, I decided to take a cue from Rush Limbaugh & share some personal memories. Some of these are my perceptions, some are how I saw others perceive him, sometimes humorously.

I'll admit that I 1st heard of Bill Buckley indirectly. I am not sure, but I seriously think that the 1st time I actually began paying attention to him was because of David Frye's comedy albums. For those of you who don't remember him, David Frye was a very talented impressionist who did a wicked LBJ & an even wickeder Richard Milhous Nixon. & while he did exagerate a bit on Buckley's inimitable style of speech, he actually had him down quite well.

I also heard his name in the news. When my part of Iowa finally got a Public TV station (Iowa Educational Broadcasting Network in those days) I occasionally watched Firing Line. I'll be honest, most of the time I found it boring, that was because most of the topics didn't interest me at the time. Youth is often stupid & doesn't always appreciate what it has. I'm sure that now those same programs would hold my attention a lot more. In retrospect, I am surprized he ever made it on public TV at all. But back then the elite left didn't have the control it does now.

I also remember him as the victim of a phone call or 2 from Ernestine the Telephone operator (Lily Tomlin). She always called him William Fuhbuckley, making his middle inital a part of his surname.

As I got to know him better, even in my Democratic days, I had respect for him. He was no slouch & was very erudite. & as time went on, my respect for him grew. Even in recent years I still didn't always agree with him.

He will long be rmembered & sorely missed in our national dialog.

Recquiescat in Pace

William Buckley Vs Gore Vidal

AP Obit

It's Not Over 'Til It's Over, or Is IT?

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

OK, this is a typical Onion Spoof, but like all good humor it has some basis in reality. No, I don't mean that the fix is in, rather, that with the computer run voting machines these days, we need more safeguards esp in the touchscreen type.

This is Why I May HAVE to Vote for McCain

Fr. Frank Povone writes about sitting out the election. That is not an option for me. My problem is that I am not sure McCain will be any better when it comes to Pro-Life issues than either of the Dems. I need a lot more convincing to assure me that voting for McCain to insure that he wins over the Dem's candidate instead of voting for a 3rd party candidate will "create the better outcome". This is going to take a lot of prayer for me to discern what to do.

"And What I Have Failed To Do..."

What’s this I hear from some people that they might “sit out” the Presidential election because they aren’t comfortable with the likely choice of candidates?
Since when are elections supposed to make us “comfortable?” Since when do we exercise that right to vote, for which people fought and died, only when it’s easy and clear-cut, and our choices are just the way we want them to be?
At Mass we pray, “I confess to Almighty God…that I have sinned…in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do…”
What we fail to do can make us just as guilty as what we do. A sin is a wrong choice, and to decide not to do something is just as much of a choice as to decide to do something.
A sin of omission is still a sin – and we are still responsible for the results.
What, then, makes us think that we are more responsible for the results of voting than for the results of not voting?
A vote is not a philosophical statement. It is a transfer of power. It is a pragmatic act to preserve, as much as possible under the circumstances, the common good, and to limit the evils that threaten it.
And in the pragmatic matter of elections, what matters is not how closely a candidate measures up to my preferences and convictions. Instead, it’s a question of who can and will actually get elected. It does little good if the person I felt most comfortable supporting doesn’t get to actually govern and implement those positions I like so much.
The vote can be used just as much to keep someone out of office as to put someone in.
If we fail to use that tool, however, and as a result the person who gets elected is far worse and does far more damage than the other person we did not like, then we still share responsibility for the damage that will be done.
Elections have seasons. In the earliest phases, the field is wide open. We can recruit candidates, or decide to run ourselves. We build up the name recognition and base of support for the person or people who would make the best candidate. This takes years of work.
Then the season of primaries arrives, during which voters choose between the candidates who have been recruited and who have been building up their strength.
Then the general election season arrives, and we may find that we don’t like any of the names on the ballot. At that point, we have to shift our thinking and focus on “better” rather than “best.” The reality usually is that one of several unsatisfactory candidates will in fact be elected. So we use our vote to create the better outcome and to limit the damage. That’s the shift that some fail to make.
And we are still responsible for what we fail to do.

Not To Brag, But the Results Didn't Surprize Me

You paid attention during 91% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

& by the way, YES, I was an autodidact*. For that matter, I still am.

(H/T: Christus Vincit)

* If you don't know what an autodidact is, look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls!

40 Days for Life - Lent 2008 - Update

On 3 Feb 2008 I wrote a post on the 1st 40 days for Life campaign for 2008. I got an e-mail update yesterday. So, here are some of the good news stories that they shared in it:

Wynette in Sacramento, CA reports that during their local 40 Days for Life, "a young woman walked over to one of the people praying, and said, 'My friend came here to Planned Parenthood for an abortion, but instead talked to one of you people who showed her the babies in the womb and the list of helpful places. I just wanted to let you know, my friend decided not to have an abortion and now she is expecting TWINS!'"

Gabriela in El Paso, TX said she could have easily prayed at home and read her bible without any distractions. "Instead, I chose to spend my days at the abortion clinics, out in the sun, sometimes hungry, sometimes sick, being mocked, being told to go away, and even told to mind my own business." Gabriela added, "I do not say this to be pitied or to be praised, but rather I say this humbly to motivate others to make sacrifices, stand up for life, set an example, and to speak up."

A participant in the 40 Days for Life vigil in Austin, TX wrote in her blog, "I realize that praying at abortion clinics is out of the comfort zone of many people."She notes that the apostles had "comfort zone" issues as well. "They too found comfort being with Him when things were going well. But where were they in His agony in the garden? His own apostles failed to keep watch; they fell asleep. Where were they are on the road to Calvary?" Imagine, she says, how it must comfort the Lord today "when we can be His light in the Calvary of these abortion clinics; when we show these mothers who are in despair during a difficult situation that we care, that we support them, that they and their children are in our prayers. We do not judge them, but we pray for their conversion and repentance."

Even though it is half way through the 40 day period, it is never too late to start praying. go to the website, select an abortion clinic near you & start praying. If possible join in with those praying at the actual location.

As the e-mail said: “Your prayerful presence is needed at the Calvary of today, where innocent life is still being lost, for whatever you do to the least of His, you also do unto Him. Won’t you come and be there as a prayerful witness for life this Lenten season?”

Hillary's Double Standard is Showing

After being asked about Ralph Nadar's announcement that he was again running for president, she said the following about his 2000 run : "Well, you know, his being on the Green Party prevented Al Gore from being the greenest president we could have had and I think that’s really unfortunate. I think we paid a big price for it."

Gee, I thought it was Pat Buchanan's chads that caused Al Gore to lose in Florida?

Seriously, this raises a question I'd like to ask her. "You said: "(I)t’s a free country,' which implies it is his choice. However you also said: "Obviously, it’s not helpful to whoever our Democratic nominee is." That sounds to me like you think it is wrong for a powerful 3rd party candidate to run. So, does that mean you think it was wrong for Ross Perot to run in 92 because he took votes away from the Republican nominee, thus helping your husband win? Ditto in 96? & that it was wrong for Pat Buchanan to run in 2000 because he took away votes from that year's Republican nominee? Or does this only count when it will hurt a Democrat? & if that is the case, aren't you once again proving how big a hypocrite YOU REALLY ARE?"

I have never been a fan of the arguement that Hillary put forth. Over the years, both parties have put it forth, Buchanan & Nadar being the recepiants of the objection in recent years. The arguement makes it sound like the only 2 valid parties are the Dems & Republicans. Last time that I looked, there is nothing in the Federal or any state Constitution that even requires a person to run as a member of any political party let alone the 2 major parties that currently exist.

Republicans have a selective case of amnesia in this area of their history. They started out as a 3rd party. The current major parties as they are today congealed only during the Civil War. & I firmly believe that a new party could spring up & take the place of 1 of the current major parties.

Besides, I don't know how much harm Nadar would do. Right now the Republican power stands to lose a lot of votes to a strong conservative, Pro-Life candidate running on a 3rd party.

Historically, in the last 150 years 3rd parties have tended to be more of an impetus for 1 of the main parties to adopt their major issue they are running on. That is why I see them as a good thing, not a bad thing. I know this isn't popular in some areas, but that isn't my problem.

I also seem them as a way to give voice to people who feel shut out of the major parties. & in doing so, they will encourage more people to get involved & vote. & in the end, that is what is most important to a healthy republic.

2008 Pro-Life T-Shirt Day

For the 6th year running American Life League is putting on its National Pro-Life T Shirt Day. The theme of the shirt this year (shown at right) is ABORTION - growing, growing, gone. The date for this year's event is 29 April 2008.

So, what is this all about? As ALL says on the event website: It is "a day for pro-lifers all across the country to support of the sanctity of human beings' lives by wearing pro-life shirts."

Why do it? When you do you join thousands nationwide to show "everyone that we are the majority —that we are a strong and determined voice for the babies."

"More than 3,500 babies are surgically aborted every day in America, and thousands more die by chemical abortions. We cannot just sit by and be silent. Wearing a pro-life shirt will open eyes, spark discussion, and save lives. It’s effective, easy, and something that even the meekest of persons can do to take a stand."

It is true that wearing a Pro-Life T-Shirt (sweatshirt, etc) can accomplish this any day of the year. & wearing Pro-Life apparel should never just be limited to merely this 1 day. However, when large groups do something in concert it brings much more attention to the cause. & while the media may ignore it in this case, there are still plenty of people who will notice. & that is what matters most, to get people thinking, to make them aware of what abortion really is about. It is killing a human being.

The reality of what abotrion is about is something Planned Parenthood & Catholics for a Free Choice (This name is a misnomer as you can't be a real Catholic & support abortion.) don't want people to realize. Kate Michelson (ex head of PP, current head of NARAL) & Francis Kissling (ex head of CFFC) have admitted this. They know that as more people become aware of the facts about abortion more people will oppose it.

Any Pro-life T-Shirt will work. But if you don't have 1 then you can get the 2008 shirt at the ALL Store. They sell the shirts at a special low price. The cost for this year's shirt is $6.50 each plus shipping. The sizes range from YL to XXL. & they can be worn well beyond the event date in April. I regularly wear my older shirts.

Students can wear these shirts to school, if it is a public school. The courts have ruled time after time that this is protected speech for them. (More here on dealing with harrassment, should it happen.) & while private schools can ban shirts, if it is a Catholic School that doesn't have a uniform/dress code I would suggest putting their feet to the fire, including letters to the editor, to make them allow the shirts like they should have in the 1st place. & for adults who work, during work wear a precious feet pin & switch to the shirt ASAP after work.

Groups like Planned Parenthood & the Democratic Party go on claiming that the majority of Americans support unlimited access to abortion. They know this is a lie, & the media aids & abets them in this. Events like this help to prove the truth I mentioned above, more & more people are opposing abortion every day.

(Note, as of this posting ALL hasn't updated the T-Shirt day for 2008. But much of the info is still valid.)

Presidential Campaign Thought for the Day - 24 February 2008 AD

We're selecting candidates for the most important job in the world via a process that's less rational than the one used to choose Miss Kumquat of Pasco County, Fla.

- Dave Barry

& the Losers Are (Razzies 2008)

On 25 January I did a post on the nominees for this year's Razzie Awards. The Razzie's are given to the year's worst & are announced 1 day before the Oscars. Well, they announced this year's winners last night. This year saw several new records set. This is the 1st time a single picture won 8 awards (I Know Who Killed Me), Eddie Murphy won 3 awards for his various roles in Norbit. & Lindsay Lohan won 3 for her various roles in I Know Who Killed Me. & while it wasn't the 1st time there was a tie for worst actress, this was the 1st time an actress tied with herself, & for 2 roles in the same movie to boot.

There was only 1 award that didn't go to Norbit or I Know Who Killed Me. & that 1 had a connection to Eddie Murphy. The Worst Sequel or Prequel award went to Daddy Day Camp, a sequel to Murphy's Daddy Day Care.

Anyhow, here are the complete list of the worst of the worst 2007:

28th Annual Golden Raspberry (Razzie©) Award “Winners”

Worst Picture:
I Know Who Killed Me
(Sony/Tri-Star)

Worst Actor:
Eddie Murphy (as Norbit)
NORBIT

Worst Actress (TIE) :
Lindsay Lohan (as Aubrey) and
Lindsay Lohan (as Dakota)
I KNOW WHO KILLED ME

Worst Supporting Actress:
Eddie Murphy (as Rasputia)
NORBIT

Worst Supporting Actor:
Eddie Murphy (as Mr. Wong)
NORBIT

Worst Screen Couple:
Lindsay Lohan and

Lindsay Lohan (as The Yang to Her Own Yin)
I Know Who Killed Me

Worst Remake Or Rip-off:
I Know Who Killed Me
Rip-Off of HOSTEL, SAW and THE PATTY DUKE SHOW

Worst Prequel or Sequel:
Daddy Day Camp
(Sony/Tri-Star/Revolution)

Worst Director:
Chris Siverston
I Know Who Killed Me

Worst Screenplay:
I Know Who Killed Me
Written by Jeffrey Hammond

Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie:(New Category!)
I Know Who Killed Me
(Sony/Columbia)

I don't know if "Congratulations!" or "For Shame!" is the more appropriate thing to say to this years winners (losers). But what is really sad, this year's Razzies are much more interesting than this years Oscars. & that really says something about the sad state of Hollywood. & given this year's batch of movies it looks like the competition will be even rougher for the 29th Annual Awards.

________________

Razzie & Golden Raspberry Award are registered trademarks owned by The Golden Rasberry Foundation & John Wilson. Logo used with permission via a free download from website. Usage here is considered legally allowed fair use under US Copyright & Trademark laws by the post's author. There is no intent to harm or reduce the owner's rights.

Mission To Magadan - February 2008 Update

The other day I got my latest newsletter from Magadan Mission. So, it is time for an update. Naturally, this issue focuses on the events celebrating Christmas.

1 of the events was a retreat on Love & Forgiveness. 40 members of the parish attended this retreat put on by Fr. Stanislaw Pamakala, SJ from Novosibirsk. The retreat bore much fruit. According to Fr. Michael it enables the people of his parish to enter "Christmas with joy and a fresh prayful desire to celebrate Christ's birth." Another fruit was the renewed focus on the reception of the Sacrament of Confession.

Fr. Stanislaw also lead a study for the 14 leaders in their Leadership School. He also put on a 3-day silent retreat for the parish staff. Each day's theme was a parable of Jesus.

Another article shared the story of the work of 1 Magadan parishoner & his wife to improve the conditions in the local prison's visitation room. The parishoner is a former prioner himself & is familiar with the overall horrible condition of the prison system. Working on the visitaion room is just a part of their ongoing work to bring "the love of Christ to the prisoners & their families through an unselfish act of mercy." The Church is helping to fix up the room by supplying paint, a shower & toilet plus other basic building materials. The prisoners are providing the labor.

There was also an article sharing the work that the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul are doing in Magadan. They help out by visiting the homebound, they help with the monthly g"Gathering of the Repressed". This gathering ministers to Soviet prison camp survivors by providing them with a hot meal & the healing presence of Christ.

As always, I present this information in order to ask you to help out with this work of "Preaching the Gospel in Far East Russia". Even a few dollars can go far in helping their work. There are several ways to donate.

If you want to send a check it needs to be sent to the Archdiocese of Anchorage. A check sent directly to Magadan would be worthless as there is no way for them to cash it. Make out the check to Magadan Mission & mail it to the following address:

Mission to Magadan

Archdioces of Anchorage
225 Cordova Street
Anchorage AK 99501-2409

or you can donate online here.

Packages can be sent directly to Magadan. However postage is VERY expensive. & there are limits on how much you can send per package. The total value of a package has to be less than $90. A US Customs form must be filled out also. & it takes up to 8 weeks for delivery of the package, 2 weeks for a letter. (Call your local post office for rates.)

To send a package or letter:

RUSSIA

685000 Magadan

Glavpochtant, Box 171

Fr. Michael Sheilds (or)

Fr. David Means

(NOTE: only use 1 name or the other NOT both.)

You can also e-mail either priest:

FrMike@MagadanCatholic.stopspam.org

or

mailto:FrDave@magadancatholic.stopSpam.org?body=Don .
(Of course if you are a person, leave the stopspam out of the address! Thats to prevent web trawlers from finding their addresses and putting them on spam lists. Thanks for understanding.)

You can send a prayer request via the web here.

Papa Benedetto in his 2008 Lenten Message called on us to give alms. This is an excellent way to do so.

More on "Whither the Jesuits?"

I commented the other day on the election of Fr. Adolfo Nicolás as the new Superior General of the Society of Jesus. I also shared an open letter by Fr. Thomas Euteneuer of Human Life International to Fr. Nicolás. Since then I have come across an article by George Weigel. (Questions for Father General) In it he asks many of the same questions that Fr. Euteneuer & I raised (& f ew others as well that need to be asked.)

On the other hand, I also read John Allen's article from the Not Catholic Reporter (NonCR) as well as their editorial on the election. All I will say is that the editorial didn't surprize me. The NonCR basically called for the continued disobedience of the rank & file Jesuits & defined as good their promotion of teachings that are opposed to 2000 yrs of Catholic teaching. But what do you expect from a group that hates the truth & calls evil good, denies the existence of sin unless it is something that goes against their definition of social justice. At points the editorial almost sounds Orwellian.

Allen's article was basically an overview of who Fr. Nicolás is & put emphasis on his desire for "harmony with the Vatican." My question, "What does he define as harmony?" Time will tell. But I am not any more convinced he will do what he has to do.

Meanwhile, Papa Benedetto threw down the guantlet in an meeting Thursday (21 February 2008) with Jesuit leaders. (Remember 4th vow, Pope urges Jesuits , Catholic World News) He called them to "full fidelity to the original charism." He reminded them of St. Ignatius' demand that the Jesuits always work "with the Church and in the Church." He told them to seek "that harmony with the magisterium that avoids causing confusion and uncertainty among the People of God." He goes on to say the Jesuits should "adhere completely to the Word of God as well as to the magisterium’s charge of conserving the truth and unity of Catholic doctrine in its entirety."

Papa Benedetto shows that he knows the tension is there. But that doesn't excuse their failure to faithfulness. "I well understand that this is a particularly delicate and troublesome issue for you and for many of your colleagues. " But they need to "regain a fuller understanding of your distinctive 'fourth vow' of obedience to the Successor of Peter."

The Pope reminded them of the proper focus in working with the poor & the solution for poverty isn't found in Liberation Theology He reminded them: "the option for the poor is not ideological but rather is born of the Gospel." He went on to remind them of the real root cause of poverty. If they really want to end injustice they need "to fight the deep roots of evil in the very heart of the human being, the sin that separates us from God." This is a clear reminder that a major part of their charism is to evangelize. Something else they have often forgotten in recent years.

The Pope wants the Jesuits to return to what they were ment to do, defend the Church as it is "increasingly under attack from secular culture." As I read this line I saw it as a clear statement from Papa Benedetto that he sees the Jesuits are currently too often doing just the opposite, giving aid & comfort to the Church's enemies. They are currently helping to destroy the Church, not build it up.

Time will tell if they do what the Pope has rightly called them to do. If not, he may be forced to take stronger measures.

Meanwhile, I'd like to offer a suggestion should the Jesuits fail in doing what they should. Those Jesuits who want the Jesuits to return to what they were ment to be should follow the example of St. Theresa of Avila & St. John of the Cross, start a reformed order. I know it may be difficult. There may be things within the rules that could be a hinderance. But, I am sure it can be done.

(Additional sources: The Cafeteria Is Closed, Gerald Augustinis: Pope Benedict addresses Jesuit leaders, Weigel on the Jesuits)

(Note: 23 Feb 2008, 12:17 AM, Just corrected a major error above. I had accidently wrote NC Register instead of Reporter. The National Catholic Register is an absolutely orthodox newspaper, the Reporter is a hotbed of heterodoxy, heresy & dissent that only occasionally gets it right. I sincerely & heartfeltly apologize to the NC Register staff for my error. & I apologize, as well, to any readers for the confusion I may have caused. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!!!!!)

Happy 144th Birthday Grandpa!!!!

Today is the birthday of my paternal grandfather, George Washington. No, not that one. My grandfather was George Washington Troup. He was born on this day in 1864 in Maryland. He died in 1940 so I never did get to know him. Obviously, he was named after The United States 1st president under the Constitution.

But speaking of the other guy, the 1 that was 1 of America's Founding Fathers, here are some interesting thoughts taking from his farewell address that he wrote at the end of his 2nd term as president. It was never spoken. It was originally published in Philadelphia's American Daily Advertiser on 19 September 1796.

On the importance of religion playing a part in the public square:

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. (emphasis mine, he now goes on to explain why.) In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness - these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

On original intent:

"Toward the preservation of your government and the permanency of your present happy state, it is requisite not only that you steadily discountenance irregular oppositions to its acknowledged authority, but also that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts. One method of assault may be to effect in the forms of the Constitution alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what can not be directly overthrown. In all the changes to which you may be invited remember that time and habit are at least as necessary to fix the true character of governments as of other human institutions; that experience is the surest standard by which to test the real tendency of the existing constitution of a country; the facility in changes upon the credit of mere hypothesis and opinion exposes to perpetual change, from the endless variety of hypothesis and opinion; and remember especially that for the efficient management of your common interests in a country so extensive as ours a government of as much vigor as is consistent with the perfect security of liberty is indispensable. Liberty itself will find in such a government, with powers properly distributed and adjusted, its surest guardian. It is, indeed, little else than a name where the government is too feeble to withstand the enterprises of faction, to confine each member of the society within the limits prescribed by the laws, and to maintain all in the secure and tranquil enjoyment of the rights of persons and property." (Take that living Constitution moonbats.)

Public debt:
"As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible, avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts which unavoidable wars have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear." (He would be shocked by how poorly we ignored this & many other of his wise suggestions.)

If you need any proof on how much we need to go back & learn what really went on back then it is this. Washington was at the Constitutional Convention, Jefferson wasn't. Yet we take Jefferson's opinions as the proper interpretation & ignore Washington's statements.

Full address here.

What Hillary Must Be Thinking With Obama Taking the Lead

"What in the theological place of eternal damnation that I also plan on ruling someday is going on here?????? This wasn't supposed to happen. Obama wasn't supposed to pull out ahead of me. This was to be my 2nd coming where I would finally be able to impose my socialist rule over this land. This was supposed to be my springboard to total world domination. But it isn't going as I had hoped. I put up with Bill's infidelities for all those years so that I could be in a position to take over. I talked pro-abortion feminists into betraying their values by suckering them into defending Bill after he raped those women. It is time for the dirty tricks. I did it to the women Bill raped, I made his victims into villians. I can do it to Obama.

If I don't win then somebody will pay. Several somebodies, starting with Bill. They think I'm shrill now, just wait. BITCH WILL BE TOO MILD OF A WORD TO DESCRIBE ME! Hell will seem like paradise when I am through."

The above is pure speculation. But I suspect there is a lot of truth in it. & that what she is actually thinking is much worse than anything I have written. There are plenty of dirty tricks on the way. Just you wait.

I Can Dream, Can't I?

H/T: American Papist

Papist Picture of the Day - 2/19/08

When All Else Fails, Resort to Lies & Name Calling

Esp when you know that you are on the wrong side of an issue, as former President Bill Clinton knows he is when it come to abortion. This is what he said when pressed by the Pro-Life protestors at a campaign appearance for his wife: "You wanna criminalize women and their doctors and we disagree. I reduced abortion. Tell the truth, tell the truth, If you were really pro-life, if you were really pro-life, you would want to put every doctor and every mother as an accessory to murder in prison. And you won't say you wanna do that because you know, that you wouldn't have a lick of political support. Now, the issue is who, the issue is, you can't name me anybody presently in politics that did more to introduce policies that reduce the number of real abortions instead of the hot air putting out to tear people up and make votes by dividing America." (Emphasis mine)

There are 2 big lies in what President Clinton said, each emphasised by me above. The 1st, that Pro-Lifers want to put women in jail. He knows darn well that that is not true. Pro-lifers want to make abortion illegial, yes. & they want women to know there are alternatives. That is why there are groups like Birthright & Care-Net. We want to help these women who might otherwise chose an abortion, & we see most women as victims of abortionists just as much as the unborn children are. That is why we support groups like Rachel's Vineyard & Silent No More.

You DON"T jail a victim Bill, or attempt in any way to destroy them. That is your way of doing things, not ours. I'm refering to the way he attacked & attempted to destroy the women he raped when they stood up & fought back, in case anyone forgot. Women that were betrayed by the so-called feminists who cared more about keeping abortion legal by keeping Slick Willy the Rapist in office than his victims. & make no mistake they were victims several times over. 1st when he raped them & 2ndly when he attempted to destroy them using the office of the presidency.

Which brings us to the 2nd lie, that the Clinton administration worked to reduce abortions. Yes, the numbers went down, but not because of anything you did, nor as dramatically as you claim. (See Hillary Clinton Claims Abortions Increasing Under President Bush for the real numbers.)

Here is the video of that encounter:

President Clinton, you were a liar & a criminal while in office. & you still are. & you know it. & someday, you will have to answer for all that blood on your hands. May God have mercy on you!

Source: Clinton: "If you were really pro-life, you would want to put every doctor . . . in prison"

Questions for Fr. Adolfo Nicolás S.J.

Over the weekend I was reading an article about the election of Fr. Adolfo Nicolás S.J. as the new Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) last month. In it they quote from an interview he gave in December 2007. In that interview he said: "I have a feeling, still imprecise & diificult to define that there is something important in our religious life that needs attention & is not getting it?" the rest of the quotes, which I won't repeat here go on to show that he totally misses what the real problem(s) within the Jesuits as a whole is (are).

I thought to myself, Father, either you are really dense & don't see the truth, or you are being disingenuous because you don't want to admit the truth. I can tell you exactly what the problems are & what needs to be done. The order needs a major reform. Too many Jesuits are unfaithful to the Pope & the orthodox teachings of the Church. They are openly promoting dissent, heresy & rebellion instead of defending the faith & esp the Holy Father. They have drifted far away from the charism on which they were founded.

Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International sees the same problems I do. His latest column looks at those problems & gives some suggestions of how to deal with them. Fr. Euteneuer does this by asking a series of 'hard questions" that he thinks the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius Loyola, would ask if he could come back & talk to Fr. Nicolás. Fr. Euteneuer not only asks the questions, he gives solid examples of what the answers need to be, what actions need to be taken by Fr. Nicolás to bring about true reform to the Jesuits & restore the original charism of the order.

Questions St. Ignatius Would Ask the New Jesuit General

St. Ignatius Loyola would undoubtedly be happy that a fellow Spaniard, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, is once again at the helm of the Society of Jesus, but I doubt St. Ignatius would be happy about the state of his order at this moment in church history. While I have a healthy respect for the many good Jesuits I have known, I can’t be as optimistic about their ability to pull off an internal reform that would make this company, once known as the pope’s shock troops, the pre-eminent force of orthodoxy and spiritual renewal in the world. For this to happen, the Jesuits will need strong, decisive leadership—in other words, Fr. Nicolás has his work cut out for him.

Fr. Nicolás has received his share of accolades for his 40 years of missionary work and solid character, but the “hard questions” have yet to be asked, and his accountability is not merely to the Catholics waiting for a resurrection of this order, but also to St. Ignatius himself, who will undoubtedly be posing the hardest questions of all. I believe that the answers to these questions are what will make or break our confidence in the new General’s leadership.

First and foremost, Ignatius would ask if he was planning to use his authority to return Jesuit universities to orthodoxy. The list of Jesuit university horror stories is simply appalling to any decent Catholic let alone a saint like Ignatius. When I was in Ecuador last November, the Jesuit university in Quito sponsored a seminar on the “Theology of Che Guevara” (the radical companion of Fidel Castro) as a legitimate public lecture. In America the horrors range from ten Jesuit universities sponsoring the despicable V-Monologues on campus this year, others hosting gay and lesbian student groups, one giving scholarships for training in pro-abortion activism and many others bestowing honorary degrees and speaking platforms to pro-abortion politicians in commencement ceremonies. What will be done about this?

Second, Ignatius would want to know whether Fr. Nicolás will discipline dissenting theologians in their ranks before the US Bishops or the Vatican have to. Fr. Peter Phan of Georgetown is the most recent example, but other “theologians” like ex-priest Daniel McGuire at Marquette and at least one Jesuit “ethicist” who endorsed the killing of Terri Schiavo are outright predators on the faith of young souls and need to be removed. Then there is the nagging scandal of deceased Jesuit, Robert Drinan. Fr. Drinan was a US Congressman in the 70s with a 100% pro-abortion voting record and was never once disciplined by his superiors for his blatantly heretical positions. In fact, he was so benignly pardoned by his superiors that Georgetown Law School rewarded him with an honorary Endowed Chair for human rights!

Third, what will be done to purge the Jesuits of its misfits, Ignatius would ask. For a starter, Fr. Nicolás could show his seriousness in reform by suspending and removing from office Fr. Michael McFarlane, president of Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, who flagrantly disobeyed the directive of Bishop Robert McManus not to allow a pro-abortion group to meet on campus. Better yet, he should remove Fr. McFarlane’s Provincial who stood by in silent assent to this disgraceful conduct. He might also clean up the ranks of the Jesuit sex offenders who have cost various Jesuit Provinces more than $60 million in lawsuits in the past decade, including the largest single payout from a religious order in history for more than a hundred victims.

Jesuits ranks have thinned from 38,000 Jesuits worldwide in 1965 to about half that number today. Their average age is rising and their seminaries are anything but full. There is a reason for that: lack of orthodoxy coupled with toleration of dissent and misconduct in the ranks. Only strong leadership and a return to discipline will restore the Jesuits to their position as the world’s pre-eminent defenders of the Faith—and, like the rest of us, St. Ignatius will surely be watching.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,

President,

Human Life International

Let's hope & pray that Fr. Nicolás has the will as well as the courage to do what Fr. Euterneuer rightly points out needs to be done. Given what I read in that article, I can't say I am any more optimistic than Fr. Euteneuer is about it actually happenning. I suspect that he will do some things that make it look like he is trying to deal with the problems. But they will be cosmetic & won't deal with the real problems. I may be wrong, but I can't see Fr. Nicolás exercising that strong leadership & discipline needed. To do so will require an open honesty about the problems that, based on what I read in the above mentioned interview, he seems unwilling to show.

An Offer He COULD Refuse

Bishop Michele Pennisi recently said no to a request by the famiglia (biological in this case) of Mafia boss Crocefisso Emanuello. They wanted to have the requiem Mass in the cathedral of the Diocese of Piazza Amerina. The Bishop said NO!

Needless to say Emanuello's other famiglia (which includes several of his sons) was not pleased & have issued death threats. The Bishop will not let their threats silence him. "Men of the Church must do their bit to fight the Mafia, " said the Bishop. He won't go into hiding & has even refused police protection. Even so, the police are still keeping an eye on the Bishop.

Source: Sicilian bishop braves Mafia death threats

BRAVO, Bishop Pennisi!!!!!!

Here in America many bishops don't have the spine to stand up to pro-choice (abortion) Catholic politicians. They won't enforce Canon 915. They are afraid to do what is right, even though it would cost them a lot less than their lives. But, Bishop Pennisi is willing to lay down his life to do what the Catholic faith asks of him. He knows the truth in Jesus' warning about gaining the world & losing his soul. It is a shame that most American Bishops don't understand that simple truth & are thus they are doing what they warned pro-choice politicians would happen to them, putting their salvation at risk.

We need to pray for Bishop Pennisi's protection. Should anything happen to him, he will truly be a martyr for the faith.

Planned Parenthood - Alledgedly Nonprofit, Really Profiting From Murder

American Life League

Stop Planned Parenthood

A few days ago (12 Feb) I started a post on YouTube's banning an ALL video talking about Planned Parenthood's ads because of inappropriate content, the scenes from the PP ads. But the original PP ads weren't banned. I wasn't able to finish it. I was on vacation for the rest of last week, so I didn't have a chance to get back to it, or write to YouTube. But enough others did have a chance to get the word out & put the pressure on YouTube. They caved & put the video back up.

However, rather than admitting they were wrong, they gave ALL the following explaination: "This email is to inform you that a video was recently removed from your account due to a technical malfunction. The issue has since been remedied and we appologize (sic) for any inconvenience or distress this may have caused. The following video(s) have been reinstated and your account has not been penalized."

I suspect the original explaination by StopPP head Jim Sedlak is what really happenned. "Obviously, Planned Parenthood’s attack dogs flagged our video to hide the truth, and YouTube caved to their pressure." YouTube is too ashamed of the truth to admit that they did go along with PP, probably because they agree with PP.

PP doesn't play fair, because it knows what it is doing is wrong. The recent events in Aurora, IL stand as a testimony to that. & PP is a for profit, plain & simple. & it uses US taxpayer dollars to ensure that it can operate in the black. In 2004-2005 it made over $36 million in profit. In 2005-2006 it went up to $55.8 million for that year. Yet, they claim they need fedral & state funds? Why?

YouTube has an unfortunate record of censorship when it comes to videos that go against the left's PC agenda or its political agenda. This is the latest batch of egg on its face.

To all of you who were able to pressure YouTube, keep up the good work.

To YouTube: SHAME ON YOU!!!!

Here is the full Catholic News Agency article that set it off: American Life League video yanked by YouTube

Happy SS Cyril & Methodius Day!

FaithMouse

God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth." Genesis 1:27-28

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. Genesis 2:24

How do all these things tie in together, simple. Genesis tells us that God created man & woman to be married & of 1 flesh.

Part of the call to be one is to be fruitful & have children, within the context of marriage. That means chastity & celebacy outside of marriage.

But it also means that any child that is conceived through sexual relations is to be welcome regardless of the circumstances of his or her conception.

The 2 saints who's feast we celebrate this day preached that message of love & welcoming children. & that abortion is always wrong. (From day 1 the Church has opposed abortion. Read the Didache if you doubt me.)

Leyt's honor those saints by doubling our efforts to protect the unborn.

Pro-Choice IS Pro-Abortion

1 of the biggest cop outs I hear from some so-called (alledged) Catholics is "I'm not pro-abortion, I'm pro-choice." Their claim is that there is a difference. Well, I decided to see what the dictionary had to say. Here is what I found at some of the on-line dictionaries:

Dictionary.com

Pro-abortion: adj. - Favoring or supporting legalized abortion

Pro-choice: adjective - supporting or advocating legalized abortion.

Merriam-Webster

Pro-abortion: adjective - favoring the legalization of abortion

Pro-choice: adjective - favoring the legalization of abortion

I love how the next 2 use a bunch of fancy sophistry to say favoring the right to abortion for pro-choice:

The Free Dictionary

Pro-abortion: adj. - Favoring or supporting legalized abortion.

Pro-choice: adj. - Favoring or supporting the legal right of women and girls to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy to term. (This whole thing is just a fancy way of saying choosing to have a legal abortion.)

American Heritage

Pro-abortion: ADJECTIVE - Favoring or supporting legalized abortion.

pro-choice: ADJECTIVE - Favoring or supporting the legal right of women and girls to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy to term. (Like I said!)

Anyhow remember 1 of the basic axioms of math: If a=b & b=c then a=c.

So, the next time you hear someone say "I'm not pro-abortion, I'm pro-choice." Tell them that to stop the sophistry, the terms are synonomous. & if they say otherwise, tell them they are lying plain & simple.

L-Mart Purple Light Specials

With Lent now well underway, are you finding yourself still struggling to make this Lent all that God wants it to be? Are certain distractions keeping you from focusing on Jesus? Things like heretical songs at Mass being foisted off as hymns? Is your parish truly a desert?, with a ton of cacti in the sanctuary & sand where the Holy Water should be?

Well, I have some good news for you. There is help available for you. That help is L-Mart. My friend Jeff Miller has posted their latest catalog on his blog. They have everything you need to "make your Lent the best Lent ever". Some items will enable you to better keep your Lenten resolutions. Others will help you avoid the near occasion of sin, esp at Sunday Mass. Here are just a few of their many divinely inspired products that are geared to meet your Lenten needs in a way that the world never can.

Ashes Plug $17.99
On Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday of Lent often you will be subjected to that so-called hymn that borders on heresy named Ashes. As soon as the music starts for this song and before you hear those Pelagianism words "We rise again from ashes to create ourselves anew." the Ashes Plug technology kicks in and blocks the offending "hymn" and stops blocking as soon as it ends.

Snack Patch $14.99
Have you made a Lenten commitment to give up all snacks during Lent yet in years past you have always failed to keep this resolution?
Introduction the Snack Patch. Each pack contains amounts of all the normal crap you read on the ingredients of most snack food of additives, preservatives, color additives, emulsifiers, etc. Each week you change your patch and each week it contains less and less of your normal snack chemical soup you so love.

Portable Font $7.99
On Ash Wednesday does your parish remove the Holy Water from all the fonts? Do they replace it with marbles, sands, twigs, or basically any object but Holy Water? If so check out the Portable Font. Easily collapses and fits in your pocket. While traveling the water won't link, but with just one twist of our patented lid you can then dip your fingers and bless yourself. Holds enough water for you and your family.

Sackcloth T $17.99
Have you ever wanted to try out sackcloth, but just weren't sure how it was done properly?
If you answered yes you are a candidate for the Sackcloth T the finest in penitential undershirts and you can get them monogrammed. People might give you strange looks as you constantly scratch your upper body, but they won't know your wearing sackcloth under your work shirt.
If you want something more fashionable then you can also order are sackcloth hoodies.*

* The sackcloth undershirt was provided courtesy of Alive and Young.

Our Lady of Lourdes - 150th Anniversary

Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the 1st appearance of Mary to a young girl, Bernadette Soubirous, at Lourdes in France. Mary appeared to St. Bernadette a total of 18 times. The last being 16 July 1858. It is also the 16th Annual World Day of the Sick. For those of you unfamiliar with the apparitions at Lourdes & the messages & miracles at Lourdes as you read on this will soon make sense. (Note: The message of Lourdes is considered a private revelation by the Catholic Church. When a private revelation is approved, it means that the competent Church authorities have determined that Mary actually appeared & that the message says nothing contrary to public revelation as found in the Scriptures & Tradition of the Church. The message is also judged by the spiritual fruit it bears. The Church then says that it is worthy of belief. But, the Church does not require anyone to accept the message as a part of the deposit of faith. A valid message supports the teachings of the Church. It often gives new insight into how to live out certain devotions, or new expressions of those devotions.)

On this date in 1858 Bernadette, a 14 year old French peasant girl. She was gathering wood with her sister, Toinette, & a friend, Jeanne Abadie, near the cave of Massabielle. She heard a sound like wind twice. the 2nd ime she looked toward the cave (she calls it grotto). There she saw a lady: "dressed in white, wearing a white dress, a blue girdle and a yellow rose on each foot, the same color as the chain of her rosary; the beads of the rosary were white."

"The Lady made a sign for me to approach; but I was seized with fear, and I did not dare, thinking that I was faced with an illusion. I rubbed my eyes, but in vain. I looked again, and I could still see the same Lady. Then I put my hand into my pocket, and took my rosary. I wanted to make the sign of the cross, but in vain; I could not raise my hand to my forehead, it kept on dropping. Then a violent impression took hold of me more strongly, but I did not go.

The Lady took the rosary that she held in her hands and she made the sign of the cross. Then I commenced not to be afraid. I took my rosary again; I was able to make the sign of the cross; from that moment I felt perfectly undisturbed in mind. I knelt down and said my rosary, seeing this Lady always before my eyes. The Vision slipped the beads of her rosary between her fingers, but she did not move her lips. When I had said my rosary the Lady made a sign for me to approach, but I did not dare. I stayed in the same place. Then, all of a sudden, she disappeared."

She asked her 2 companions if they had seen or heard anything. They said no. Her sister told their mother on their return about where they had been. They were punished & told not to go back.

3 days later on Sunday 14 February she returned. "The second time was the cheese Sunday. (This is an old name for the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.) I went back because I felt myself interiorly impelled. My mother had forbidden me to go. After High Mass, the two other girls and myself went to ask my mother again. She did not want to let us go, she said that she was afraid that I should fall in the water; she was afraid that I would not be back for Vespers. I promised that I would. Then she gave me permission to go."

She returned to the grotto with a bottle of Holy Water. She was going to test to see if the apparition was a demon. If it was, it would be repelled by the Holy Water. "When we arrived, we all took our rosaries and we knelt down to say them. I had hardly finished the first decade when I saw the same Lady. Then I started to throw holy water in her direction, and at the same time I said that if she came from God she was to stay, but if not, she must go. She started to smile, and bowed; and the more I sprinkled her with holy water, the more she smiled and bowed her head and the more I saw her make signs. Then I was seized with fright and I hurried to sprinkle her with holy water until the bottle was empty. Then I went on saying my rosary. When I had finished it she disappeared and we came back to Vespers."

After this appearance some adults heard her repeat what happenned. They told her to bring a pen & paper the next time she returned. On Thursday the 18th she returned. This time the Lady appeared again & spoke for the 1st time. "I went to the grotto with a few matured people, who advised me to take paper and ink, and to ask her, if she had anything to say to me, to have the goodness to put it on paper. I said these words to the Lady. She smiled and said that it was not necessary for her to write what she had to say to me, but asked if I would do her the favour of coming for a fortnight. I told her that I would. She told me also that she did not promise to make me happy in this world, but in the next."

Bernadette returned every day. Between the 18th of February & 4 March the Lady appeared almost every day (22 & 26 February being the exceptions). Each day more & more people accompanied her. & local officials were starting to get concerned as well. Eventually they would interogate her. She underwent many trials during this period. During a couple of the early apparitions the Lady gave Bernadette some private messages. At the 8th appearance (24 February) the Lady said: "Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners. Kiss the ground as an act of penance for sinners!"

The next day is when the event that defines Lourdes to this day happenned. The Lady "told me that I should go and drink at the fountain and wash myself. Seeing no fountain I went to drink at the Gave. She said it was not there; she pointed with her finger that I was to go in under the rock. I went, and I found a puddle of water which was more like mud, and the quantity was so small that I could hardly gather a little in the hollow of my hand. Nevertheless I obeyed, and started scratching the ground; after doing that I was able to take some. The water was so dirty that three times I threw it away. The fourth time I was able to drink it. She made me eat grass growing in the same place where I had drunk; once only; I do not know why. Then the Vision disappeared and I went home." The next day it became a spring that flows to this day. On 1 March Catherine Latapie bathed her paralyzed arm in the spring. It was instantly healed. this was the 1st of the 68 confirmed miraculous cures at the spring.

At the 2 March apparition The Lady told Bernadette she wanted a chapel built by the spring. She went to Abbé Dominique Peyramale with 2 aunts to relay the message. At 1st Fr. Peyramale called her a liar. But eventually she wore him down & he went to the Bishop (diocese of Tarbes). He also told Bernadette to ask the name of The Lady. It wasn't until the 16th apparition on 25 March that The Lady said"que soy era Immaculada Councepciou. (I am the Immaculate Conception. in the Bigourdan dialect)" When she told Fr. Peyramale he was shocked. & began questioning her. He said: "You are mistaken. Do you know what that means?" She didn't. He wrote the Bishop that night. "She could never have invented this ... " She couldn't have. The Church had only formally declared it 4 years earlier. & Bernadette didn't have enough catechism to have been taught that fact.

There were only 2 more apparitions. But crowds were already being drawn to the spring. On 8 June the mayor barricaded access to the area & fined people who knelt in prayer in the area. The last apparition took place on 16 July. Bernadette had to kneel by the riverbank.

During this time the authorities also had the water analysed. The final report said:

"The extraordinary effects which are alleged to have followed the use of the water cannot, at least in the present state of science, be explained by the nature of the salts revealed by analysis. The water contains no active substance capable of endowing it with marked therapeutic properties. It can be taken without injury.
The water contains:

1. Oxygen.

2. Azote.

3. Carbonic acid.

4. Carbonates of lime and magnesia, and a trace of carbonate of iron.

5. An alkaline carbonate or silicate; chlorides of potassium and sodium.

6.Traces of sulphates of potassium and soda.

7. Traces of ammonia.

8. Traces of iodine, etc." (Note that there was nothing found to explain any ability in the water of itself to bring about cures. It is just good drinking water.)

In October the mayor was forced by Empoer Napolean III to reopen the grotto.

On 18 January 1862 the Bishop declared the apparitions to be real & approved the messages. "We are inspired by the Commission comprising wise, holy, learned and experienced priests who questioned the child, studied the facts, examined everything and weighed all the evidence. We have also called on science, and we remain convinced that the Apparitions are supernatural and divine, and that by consequence, what Bernadette saw was the Most Blessed Virgin. Our convictions are based on the testimony of Bernadette, but above all on the things that have happened, things which can be nothing other than divine intervention."

The Grotto has become a major pilgrimage site. People come from arround the world to pray & bathe in the miraculous waters. Many people have been cured, of which, as I already pointed out, 68 have been declared miracles. The site is known as The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain. Eventually the Church made 11 February the optional memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. Pope John Paul the Great also made this date the World Day of the Sick because of the miraculous healings at Lourdes. (To quote Paul Harvey: "& now you know the rest of the story.)

As for Bernadette, she never returned to the grotto after the last apparition. She joined the the Sisters of Charity of Nevers convent at the age of 22 where she spent the rest of her life. There she continued to suffer from asthma that she had from childhood. Finally after 1 attack she asked for some water from Lourdes. After that she never had any symptoms again. She worked as an assistant in the infirmary and later as a sacristan, creating beautiful embroidery for altar cloths and vestments. Few people knew who she really was & even though she kept track of developments at the Grotto, as I said she never returned, not even in 1876 for the dedication of the Basilica. Often mistreated by superiors, but never complaining she died at the age of 36 from tuberculosis of the bone in the right knee. (16 April 1879)

On 2 September 1909, as a part of the canonization process her body was exhumed & found to be incorrupt. She was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI. Her visions & messages (as always with the Church) were not considered as a part of the process. It was because of her heroic virtue during her life as a nun, and for her exemplary simplicity, humility, and holiness of life.

There are those who will doubt this story & that is your choice. What I have written is true. I haven't included every apparition or event in her life. This is the heart of her story. I believe that Jesus sent His Mother to Bernadette to call people to pray, repent of the sins (personal as well as corporate) & to come to Jesus as Lord & Savior. He also sent her to show His great Love & Mercy by making this grotto a place of healing, spiritual as well as physical. For 150 years God HAS BEEN GLORIFIED by the events & miracles that have occured here. & I believe He will continue to work here until the return of Jesus at the end of time. There will be an huge multitude in Heaven because of what He did here.