Is Anybody There?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says Yahweh Sabaoth" Zach 4:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dio di Signore, nella Sua volontà è nostra pace!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin 1759

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Another Prophetic Warning by Venerable Pope Paul VI

 I was at the Adoration Chapel in DBQ this afternoon. While there I was reading some selections from Venerable Pope Paul VI's encyclical Mysterium Fidei. This encyclical on the Holy Eucharist is somewhat unusual. Normally a pope does not write or release an encyclical when an ecumenical council is in session. But he wrote this after the end of the 3rd session of Vatican II in 1964. He released it on 3 September 1965, 11 days before the opening of the 4th & final session.



Now why would Pope Paul make such an unusual move? While the term hadn't been coined yet, he saw how some people were already starting to push what we now know as the false "Spirit of Vatican II". That so-called spirit has been used to justify the actions of those who want to change the Catholic Church by throwing out magisterial teachings on a wide variety of subjects. At the time, I highly doubt those theologians were even thinking of Vatican II as an excuse. They were just pushing for their changes in doctrine. The people who followed in their footsteps after Vatican II used that spirit to justify their changes. 
In this case, Pope Paul was concerned about the undermining of certain doctrines about the Eucharist, as well as the Mass in the Latin rite. He was trying to nip these abuses in the bud. Unfortunately, this encyclical was ignored at the time. Yet, it deserves to have attention paid to it as Pope Paul used it to make clear exactly what Vatican II was & wasn't saying about the liturgy & Eucharistic devotion.
As you will see, many of the things he was concerned about, have since been pushed as being in the "spirit of Vatican II" Vatican II despite the fact that what Vatican II was something totally different. The real "Spirit of Vatican II" on the Eucharist is found in this encyclical. 
After giving a short summary of what the Fathers of Vatican II wanted, Pope Paul says that what he is seeing is something totally different. & that he must speak out as it is his duty as Pope to do so.

For We can see that some of those who are dealing with this Most Holy Mystery in speech and writing are disseminating opinions on Masses celebrated in private or on the dogma of transubstantiation that are disturbing the minds of the faithful and causing them no small measure of confusion about matters of faith, just as if it were all right for someone to take doctrine that has already been defined by the Church and consign it to oblivion or else interpret it in such a way as to weaken the genuine meaning of the words or the recognized force of the concepts involved.(par 10, emphasis mine)
Doesn't this sound exactly like what all those who are pushing for changes in all areas of the Catholic Church that go contrary to 2000 years of teaching are saying? How often do we hear that something is pre-Vatican II or the Church's teaching on marriage, divorce, abortion, _____________(fill in the blank) is out of date & we need to change with the times?
In a sense, it should be no surprise that Pope Paul put into words what the past 50 years of dissenters would do & say. He was exercising his Petrine charism to teach. That means that the Holy Spirit was working through him & revealed to him what needed to be addressed.
After giving a couple of examples, Pope Paul goes on to state something that really struck me a the answer to those who scream about how out of date Eucharistic devotion is, especially in the form of Eucharistic Adoration.

And so, with the aim of seeing to it that the hope to which the Council has given rise—that a new wave of Eucharistic devotion will sweep over the Church—not be reduced to nil through the sowing of the seeds of false opinions. (par 13)
Yes, you read that right, Pope Paul & Vatican II both intended Eucharistic devotion to increase, not decrease to what it did in most places. Instead the "false opinions" bore fruit that lead to just the opposite of what the "Spirit of Vatican II" wanted.
When I was a child & teen, I remember plenty of opportunities for Eucharistic devotion in the form of Eucharistic Benediction. This was especially true during Lent when my parish had the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction on Sunday afternoons. After I was able to start serving as an altar boy (7th grade, for me the Fall of 1967) I never felt closer to Christ than when I was serving at Benediction. I would be kneeling there on the steps of the high Altar with Jesus in the monstrance above the tabernacle.
But as time went on, that mostly vanished. We also saw how many churches were "remodeled" to move the tabernacle off to the side, or totally out of the main part of the Church. While most of the newly built churches leave much to be desired, some of them did build a decent chapel with easy access for people to visit Jesus. In that aspect, they did do the right thing, unintentionally I suspect.
For the most part, when the tabernacle wasn't all but hidden in the main body of the Church, it was relegated to, what was nothing more than a closet. It was definitely not condusive to adoration.
We also saw a rise in the failure to teach the doctrine of the Eucharist. & depending on the survey, up to 70% do NOT believe in the Real Presence. This was 1 of the things Pope Paul hoped to prevent from happening.
I won't go into the details, but Pope Paul gives an excellent explanation of the Church's teachings. He does so using the writings of many teachers in the Church, especially those of the Eastern Church.
Instead I would highly recommend reading the encyclical in its entirety. Since Pope Paul intended it to be read by "the Faithful of the entire World ," Pope Paul wrote it in a way that makes it easy to be understood by all. So there are no excuses for not reading it.
There are several quotes from the documents of Vatican II in the encyclical. That alone shows how this is the authentic interpretation of Vatican II. Thankfully, Blessed John Paul II & Papa Benedetto have worked to bring back the proper understanding of what the Council intended. We still have a long way to go. Getting the teaching of this encyclical out to the faithful will go a long way in restoring what was never meant to be lost.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

USCCB Novena of Prayer & Penance for 40 Days of Roe v Wade - Day 9


Day Nine: Sunday, January 27, 2012

Printable version of Day Nine
Intercession: For repentance, healing and peace, in every heart and every nation.
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: Today is the memorial of St. Angela Merici, foundress of the religious community now known as the Ursuline nuns. Living in northern Italy in the early 1500s, she was moved by the needs of young girls in the community, who were poor and uneducated. She responded to the girls' needs by educating them in the Gospel. Her example reminds us that to share Christ with those in need is to share news of great joy. "…for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10) We hear these words proclaimed in today's first reading. The message of the Gospel of Life is one of great joy! Our call to live this Gospel is not marked with sadness and despair, but with hope, expectation and exuberant joy. "It is up to you, young followers of Christ, to show the world that faith brings happiness and a joy which is true, full and enduring.… The Gospel is the "good news" that God loves us and that each of us is important to him. Show the world that this is true!" (Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the 27th World Youth Day, March 15, 2012).
Acts of Reparation (choose one):
  • Spend quality time with a family member or friend; ask them if they would like to help out at a local charity with you.
  • Say three Hail Mary's for your parish priest. Without our priests, we could not have the sacraments.
  • Make a "quiet hour" today, turning off all electronic devices (cell phone, iPod, computer, television, radio, video game system), and retreat to your room.
Did you know? Pope Benedict XVI recently linked. . . respect for life with peace:"The path to the attainment of the common good and to peace is above all that of respect for human life in all its many aspects, beginning with its conception, through its development and up to its natural end. True peacemakers, then, are those who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions, personal, communitarian and transcendent. Life in its fullness is the height of peace. Anyone who loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life."
It's up to you—through your prayers and actions—to help create a culture of life and peace. May God bless you for your dedication and sacrifices for life!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Papa Benedetto - Socially Communicated the Letter & Authentic Spirit of Vatican II

This evening I dug out my copy of Servant of God Fr. John Hardon, SJ's The Catholic Catechism to finish reading Section II on The Living God
As I began reading the section on the Trinity I read something that caught my eye & resonated with what I had read in Papa Benedetto's Message for the 2013 World Communications Day.
This is what I read: "Running as a theme throughout the documents of the latest ecumenical conclave of the Catholic Church (i.e. Vatican II) is the awareness that a new era has dawned in the history of humanity:. . . . .the media of social communication are setting off chain reactions for the widest possible circulation of ideas and feelings."
Compare that to the opening paragraph of Papa Benedetto's message: "I would like to offer you some reflections on an increasingly important reality regarding the way in which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the development of digital social networks which are helping to create a new “agora”, an open public square in which people share ideas, information and opinions, and in which new relationships and forms of community can come into being."
Although it is obvious that neither the Council Fathers, in writing Inter Mirificaor Fr. Hardon, in writing about what was taught, specifically foresaw Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or even text messaging, it is clear that the Holy Spirit had guided the Council Fathers to look ahead & guide the faithful in how to use the new technologies that were nascent in the 60s. In fact, World Communications Day was established by Vatican II.


Papa Benedetto clearly sees the importance of using all the tools out there to spread the message of the Gospel as well as to help build up the Body of Christ in greater unity. He was there at Vatican II when they taught about communicating in the world using today's tools. He knows what the true spirit of those words is, the Holy Spirit, not some nebulous spirit that clearly has nothing to do with Vatican II no matter how many people try & invoke it. He is doing what he can to see that people know what the Catholic Church actually teaches & expects them to live out as they should.
So, the next time you hear someone say that Papa Benedetto is trying to take the Church back to the days before Vatican II, you have 1 more proof that he isn't. Instead he is doing exactly what Vatican II intended all along. 

Note: Fr. Hardon shared the same vision that both Venerable Pope John Paul II & Papa Benedetto had of properly implementing Inter Mirifica. In fact there is a media apostolate that is doing just that.

USCCB Novena of Prayer & Penance for 40 Years of Roe v Wade - Day 8


Day Eight: Saturday, January 26, 2012

Printable version of Day 8
Intercession: For an end to legal abortion in our nation and for the conversion of all hearts, so that the inherent rights of every human being—especially those most at risk of abuse and rejection—will be upheld.
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: On this memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, we hear St. Paul's words to them: "do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord." These words ring true for us today, especially as we speak the truth that life is worth living, and that every person, without exception, deserves the chance to live his or her life, and experience its beauty and goodness. Blessed John Paul II reminds us that our first step in giving our testimony is to have an outlook of wonder on the beauty of life, "discovering in all things the reflection of the Creator and seeing in every person his living image" (Evangelium Vitae, 83).
Acts of Reparation (choose one):
  • Read about a Church teaching you don't understand in the Catechism.
  • Make an honest assessment of your "giving finances" – are you giving too little? Make a resolution to give a set weekly or monthly donation to your parish or favorite local charity.
  • Do you love your cup of tea or coffee in the morning? Fast from caffeine today or try your coffee black.
Did you know? In 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote a great encyclical called the Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae). He describes how when a culture accepts the killing of one group of people (unborn children, for example) it's not long before other people are seen as expendable. Today, doctor-assisted suicide is legal in two states. Many have come to accept euthanasia of the elderly or dying by refusing to provide them with food and water. Many Americans support embryonic stem cell research in the search for cures for diseases and conditions that had been thought incurable, even though such research entails destroying these embryos. Persons with disabilities and their families often have to fight to receive life-saving treatments that routinely would be given to patients who do not have a disability. Where will it end?

Like the National Catholic Reporter Is Going to Listen to Bishop Finn

After all they didn't listen to his predecessor, Bishop Charles Helmsing in 1968 when he issued a condemnation & told them to stop using Catholic in their title.
But that isn't stopping Bishop Robert Finn from trying.



In his latest column for the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocesan paper, The Catholic Key, he calls out the Non-Catholic Reporter for their failure to uphold authentic Catholic teaching. He does so at the end of the letter where he talks about his responsibility as a Bishop to properly use the media to spread the Gospel. In the article he lists several Canons. Some of those canons are about his duties, the others about the duties of faithful Catholics to properly use the media as well. One specificly talks about punished with a "just penalty" for gravely harming public morals among other things.
I think you can see where he is heading. But before going there he talks about how the diocesan newspaper & radio live up to their obligation. Then he goes on to talk about the NonCR. Here is what he said:

"In a different way, I am sorry to say, my attention has been drawn once again to the National Catholic Reporter, a newspaper with headquarters in this Diocese. I have received letters and other complaints about NCR from the beginning of my time here. In the last months I have been deluged with emails and other correspondence from Catholics concerned about the editorial stances of the Reporter: officially condemning Church teaching on the ordination of women, insistent undermining of Church teaching on artificial contraception and sexual morality in general, lionizing dissident theologies while rejecting established Magisterial teaching, and a litany of other issues.
My predecessor bishops have taken different approaches to the challenge. Bishop Charles Helmsing in October of 1968 issued a condemnation of the National Catholic Reporter and asked the publishers to remove the name “Catholic” from their title – to no avail. From my perspective, NCR’s positions against authentic Church teaching and leadership have not changed trajectory in the intervening decades.
When early in my tenure I requested that the paper submit their bona fides as a Catholic media outlet in accord with the expectations of Church law, they declined to participate indicating that they considered themselves an “independent newspaper which commented on ‘things Catholic.’”  At other times, correspondence has seemed to reach a dead end.
In light of the number of recent expressions of concern, I have a responsibility as the local bishop to instruct the Faithful about the problematic nature of this media source which bears the name “Catholic.” While I remain open to substantive and respectful discussion with the legitimate representatives of NCR, I find that my ability to influence the National Catholic Reporter toward fidelity to the Church seems limited to the supernatural level. For this we pray: St. Francis DeSales, intercede for us."

There are plenty of interesting things in this to look at.
He makes it clear that the NonCR hasn't changed direction since the late 60s. He is right. In fact, I was about to write a post on that myself. In this case, I was going to look at the past 20 some years.
What set me off was the fact that I came across a 1994 issue of the paper when going through some boxes of old stuff to see what to keep & get rid of. The reason I had this issue was because it had a hit piece on Mother Angelica. Of course they were attacking her for defending authentic Catholic teaching. Much of the article mocked what they called her "Disneyland church". I won't go into details. All I will say is that nearly 40 years later, EWTN is going strong & Mother has been recognized by the Pope with the highest honor the Church gives to the laity for service to the Church.
Of course there were many other pieces that worked to undermine Catholic teaching as well, such as pushing women's ordination. Just what Bishop Finn says they are still doing. 
It is clear that Bishop Finn has tried his best to deal with them. But like the LCWR & other dissidents, they don't submit to the lawful authority as they should.
Compare this to how Mother Angelica submitted to Birmingham's Bishop Foley's order when he banned televised Masses in the diocese that were ad orientum. She appealed to Rome. When she lost, she dutifully submitted.
 Yet, they consistantly refuse to drop the word Catholic from their name, despite the fact that they are supposed to obey the Bishop. Maybe they could learn from another conservative, Michael Voris who changed the name of Real Catholic TV to Church Millitant because the Archdiocese told him to. In this case, since the owner was from another diocese that said it was OK. Still, in this case he tried to meet with Archbishop Vigneron, who didn't have time for him but did have time to meet with a liberal group espousing women's ordination.
In the end, I am sure the NonCR will use this as a way to make another attack on him. They have had it out for him ever since he took over the diocese. In the hit piece they attacked him for the changes he was making. They accused him of doing them without consultation or getting to know what really needed to be changed. This article was just like the one I mentioned earlier about Mother Angelica. Like Bishop Finn said, the trajectory hasn't changed.
What they didn't say until way, way into the article was that, while coadjutor Bishop he had visited over 70 % of the parishes in the diocese. Not only that, he held sessions at each parish where he met with the parishioners & let them talk to him.
I guess that doesn't count as consultation. That is a bit ironic given how the NonCR has often pushed for the people to have more of a voice. But the people the NonCR is talking about isn't the faithful in the pew, it is only those who share the NonCR's viewpoint aimed at getting rid of authentic Catholic teaching.
Now, the NonCR refuses to meet with him. Talk about a double standard. But in a way, it isn't. The NonCR doesn't want dialog, it just wants the Church to make them the new magisterium & that we all obey their authority.
Bishop Finn has issued the warning. He knows the NonCR won't change & there isn't much more he can do but keep speaking out, loudly & clearly, if they continue to dissent. Even excommunication would do no good as they wouldn't accept it as valid.
Hey, I've got an idea, maybe they could move to Detroit, Bishop Vigneron seems to have no problem with making dissenters welcome & faithful Catholics unwelcome. Of course, that wouldn't solve the problem. As I said, Bishop Finn will just have to keep trying, keep correcting ublicly what they are doing & keep praying to St. Francis deSales. If anyone knows how to deal with those who dissent with authentic Catholic teaching St. Francis does.

Friday, January 25, 2013

USCCB Novena of Prayer & Penance for 40 Years of Roe v Wade - Day 7


Day Seven: Friday, January 25, 2012

Printable version of Day Seven
Intercession: For elected leaders who oppose any restriction on the abortion license: may God allow them to grasp the brutal violence of abortion and the reality of post-abortion suffering experienced by countless women and men.
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: Today's reading from Acts tells the story of St. Paul's conversion. Before, he was "breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord." After encountering Christ, Paul became a "chosen instrument," filled with the Holy Spirit, and ready to suffer for Jesus' name. There is absolutely nothing and no one outside of the power of God's loving embrace. Today we remember the children, the mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all those who have been involved in or affected by abortion. We entrust them to the unfathomable healing mercy of God, recalling the words of Jesus to St. Faustina: "The greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy" (Diary, 1182).
Acts of Reparation (choose one):
  • Go to Confession—today, if possible—or during this week.
  • Fast from snacking today. Eat three meals only.
  • Today, go visit an adoration chapel and spend an hour with Jesus.
Did you know? The barbaric abortion procedure called partial-birth abortion first became known in 1993. In this mid- and late-term procedure, an abortionist delivers a live baby feet-first up to his neck, plunges surgical scissors into the base of his skull, sucks out his brains and then removes the lifeless baby's body from the birth canal. Because of the reluctance of some politicians to put any restrictions on abortion, it was not until 2007 that a federal ban on partial-birth abortion finally went into effect. Seehttp://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/partial-birth-abortion/

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Pope Has an App for That - But Is It Infallible

This app provides Actually there are several out there.
The 1st is not technically a Papal app. But it will let you let you catch up on the latest news about Papa Benedetto. I am referring to the Radio Vaticana app. 



There are versions for both iOS & Android. I have Android. With it you can get  5 Vatican Radio stations. You also can get the Pope's agenda & there is a news feed as well. From what I can see, the iOS is similar.
Next up we have an app that just came out yesterday. Like the previous one, this one was put out by the Vatican. It is called, appropriately enough, The Pope App.


It provides a live streaming feed of Papal events. It will have feeds from the 6 Vatican webcams. It will also send out News alerts & links to top stories. It will also have images of the pope as well as quotes from him.
The app went live yesterday on the eve of the release of the Pope's message for  the 2013 World Communication Day. It talks about evangelizing in the digital arena. At this time it is only available in Version 1.0 for iOS. The Android version should be out in late February. & as time goes on there will be updates expanding what the app does.
Finally, there is the Porta Fidei app. This app is a resource for the Year of Faith that we are in.


This app is not sponsored by the Vatican. It is run by Aleteia. They are not run by the Vatican. But they are a "project of the Foundation for Evangelization of through the Media (FEM), developed under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization."  They provide a wide variety of items. Among them are a daily medition from the writings or talks by the Pope. In addition it has the weekly address from the Wednesday audience going back to the start of the Year of Faith, as well as documents teachings by both Papa Benedetto & Pope John Paul II. That is only a small part of what is available. All the texts are supplied by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana. It is available for Android & iOS.
Add to this the Pope's Twitter account & the Vatican website.
It is clear that Papa Benedetto is very much aware of what is big in our culture these days. Especially for the younger adults & teens. So he is doing what he needs to to go where they are so they can be evangelized. For those of us who are more mature yet savvy enough to use modern tech, this gives us a wider variety of authentic sources of the Catholic Church's teachings.
Additionally there are several good apps for the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, Divine Mercy, Catholic prayers & Catholic versions of the Bible.
We must remember that technology is a tool, not an end in itself. It can be a great aide in the growth of your prayer life, as long as we use it, not it use us.

PS: In answer to the question I asked in the title, are they infallible? When they come to matters of faith & doctrine, yes. They present authentic Catholic teaching

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland - Is It Doing As Well As the Whole Organization

A few days ago, I did a quick look at how profitable abortion has been on the national level for Planned Parenthood. Of course that is the national combination of all the affiliates as well as what the national group gets itself.
Being that we have an abortion mill in DBQ run by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH), I decided to check things out, esp after I heard something about how the DBQ site was doing. So I decided to see if I could find anything specific. Unfortunately I was unable to get specifics so I won't go into details. But when I checked out how PPH was doing because I saw their latest annual report was out, I decided there may be some truth to what I heard. You'll figure out what I mean when I look at what I found out about PPH.
A couple of quick bits of background info. Over the past few years what is now PPH was several affiliates from Iowa, plus ones in Nebraska, Arkansas & Oklahoma. The older reports cover only the smaller versions of PPH. So making comparisons is difficult, for most things.
Also the report goes from July to June. So 2012 covers July 2011 to June 2012. 2011 would cover the 2010-11 period & 2010 would cover that period in 2009-10. As they expanded they would include the data for that year from the groups they merged with. But there is no way to find the info of the affiliates before the merger.  Like I said, it makes it difficult to make accurate comparisons.
The 1st thing I checked out was how many abortions had been done in 2011-12. It was 5832, that was up from 2010-11 when they did 5504. 09-10 showed 5685. Why did the number go down after some of the mergers & then back up this past year? I am not completely sure. I suspect at least part of this year's increase is due to more sites offering telemed abortions. That is as far as I dare hazard a guess.
They claim that those who had an abortion made up only 2% of those served. As I have pointed out before, that is no where near an accurate reflection as they count the same individual for  each part, exam, ultrasound or whatever, it makes the numbers look lower.
Interestingly enough, for 2012 they showed 4 adoption referrals as an actual part of their chart of services, but only as an aside. The 2011 report doesn't mention any & the 2010 report mentions in the text that they did 7 referrals. Not exactly the numbers you would expect if PPH was honestly presenting all the alternatives to women. However, I am sure they see each of those referrals as a failure on their part since they lost an opportunity to make money on abortions.
Now lets get to the important info, income & expenses. Income includes that from all sources; donations, government funding, investments etc. Yes, they do have investment income as well as the mysterious misc.
A couple of comments on that before I go on. Most non-profits have some money invested. The idea is to have a sure source of income from dividends to fall back on. The only problem is, the PPH reports don't tell us the value of those investments.  So we don't have a totally accurate idea of what they are actually worth. That info is buried in the tax forms the national level puts out. Those forms lump the various affiliates together as 1.
As for misc., I suspect some of that could be interest from savings &/or checking accounts if they are interest bearing.
So what did I discover.
For 2011-12 PPH took in $27.48 million & spent $31.8 million. Yes, apparently they lost money. $4.32 million to be exact. That would explain the closing of some of the Iowa sites this past year. They had to cut their losses. Remember, they may be defined as non-profit, but they put many for-profit companies to shame with the income over expense bottom line.
1 of their problems is that there contributions are way down from last year, despite a larger base.  The 2012 report shows that they got $6.97 million. 2011's report showed  that they got $11.3 million. The 2010 report show $6.9 million. If, as Jill June claims, they had some "tremendous fundraising events", why are contributions down? Tremendous should mean successful in generating more revenue, not just a fun, if debauched, time had by all.
The report brags about them getting $23,000 from 600+ donors after the announcement that Koman was defunding them, something Koman reversed after PP used Mafia-like strong arm tactics on them. If you average the donations out using only the 600 donors, the amount comes to a mere $38.333 per donor. & since it was more than 600 donors, that means the actual per donor amount was less.
She goes on to brag that with the nearly (emphasis mine) $60,000 in grants & donations they will be able to expand their cancer screenings. Given how little that amount is, it is doubtful that they will do more than make it look like they are expanding. If they were as serious as they claim, why aren't they trying expand to offering mammograms like they have made it sound like they provide, but don't. & the number of breast exams they have provided is down from last year, despite the larger number of sites due to the expansions. The did 19104 in 2012, 19826 in 2011. The 2011 number is up from the 2010 number of 19034. But none of these numbers shows that women are flocking to them like they claim.
Another thing PPH likes to brag about, especially when they talk about expanding to rural parts of Iowa is the huge need for primary care for lower income people that they wouldn't otherwise get. If that was so true, then why did they close the Storm Lake & Knoxville locations? Or the Newton site? Or the Monticello on a couple years ago? All of these are in what are rural areas they claim has that huge need. I remember how they claimed there was a huge need for the part time site in Monticello so that it would be convenient for women who needed their services. Yet when they closed it less than 2 years after opening the claim was women were going to the CR & DBQ sites. The reality is, they weren't able to make money, their real concern.
Something else interesting in the 2012 report is the fact that for the 1st time they talk about the "uncompensated charity care". This is the money they claim they absorbed because clients didn't have adequate insurance or financial means. Why are they all of a sudden concerned about showing this? To try & explain away their loss this year?
The other question I have is how much of this was real costs absorbed & how much of this was the disallowed amounts from medicaid & other insurance plans? Much of that is not actual loss since this is figured in already when they set their rates.
Interestingly, the amount they said they provided in uncompensated care is over $8.5 million nearly double the amount of the $4.32 million loss they apparently suffered.
Since we are on the subject of the health care they provide, let's look at the actual numbers. Specifically the primary care they say women (as well as me & children) aren't getting elsewhere. OK, they do breast exams, pap tests & colposcopies/biopsies. But primary care is much much more than that. What they provide for that would be found under what they label as family practice & prenatal pediatric care. In 2012 they provided 609 prenatal/peds services & 1982 family practice services. (Note: I am saying services since that number could be multiple times for a single person, something they like to do to inflate numbers to hide the size of the number of abortions they do.) That comes to a total of 2951 services. For 2011 & 2010 they only say the number of family practice services provided. I suspect that those numbers include the separate prenatal/peds numbers in the 2012 numbers. The number of services in 2011 was 2315 & in 2010 they were 2556. None of those are  huge, less than 1% of total services. If the need was really there, these numbers would be huger.
The 1 area they have had a healthy growth in is in the dollar amount of government grants. In 2010 they were $1.4 million, in 2011 they went up to $1.7 million. Then we come to 2012 when they reached almost $2.7 million. The amount of grants almost doubled in 2 years. & this is just grants. They also get a huge amount from medicaid. That number is buried in the amount they get for patient services They say that 50% of the services went to those under the poverty level, 9% for those between 100-150%. Add to that another 5% for those at 150-200% of the poverty level. So you can be sure that a huge part of that money came from us taxpayers.
You also see another reason why they are afraid of losing government money. It is the only thing that keeps them profitable.
If the loss for 2012 is real, not based on inflated costs, then it would explain not only the closings, but the huge expansion of telemed abortions. They need the money. Then again this could just be a ploy to make them look like they are not doing as well as they actually are so they could play on people's sympathy to get donations up, thus the mention of the charity care given.
There is also a 3rd possibility, the loss is a 1 year thing as a result of the expense from expanding telemed abortion. Even this loss could be a result of some creative bookkeeping. The last few years they have been running a huge capital campaign that has raised over $9 million. Since the assets they have are NOT mentioned in the report they money could be invested, explaining the huge jump in investment as well as that of misc. income. They could be waiting until the 2013 fiscal year to transfer the money to cover those costs.
Whatever the real reason for the "loss" I highly doubt that it is serious, or a sign of things to come, (OH, IF ONLY!!!!!) Instead, I suspect it is being used to justify more government money. more contributions & more PR mileage to hide the truth about their using these funds to expand their abortion business.
Some of the local sites still open are probably on the edge. I suspect that DBQ is 1 of them. The number of people going there is up after their move & adding of telemed abortions.  But probably not enough to break even. I also suspect that as long as possible, they will do all they can to keep it open. In part because of the strong Pro-life presence compared to much of the state, partly because DBQ is supposed to be strongly Catholic, so having a successful abortion mill here would be a way of mocking God as well as showing how out of touch the Catholic Church is with the average Catholic. Of course, their definition of average Catholic is one who dissents with the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church, not a person who does live the faith.
I also suspect that at least 1 future merger is in the works. None of the PP of Central Oklahoma (PPCO) sites offer actual abortions. The national federation has ordered all of their affiliates to start offering abortions by this year. Oklahoma requires a doctor to be physically present when prescribing RU-486, effectively banning telemed abortions. It also requires an abortionist to offer the woman the opportunity to hear the fetal heartbeat before the abortion. So either PPCO will have to start offering surgical abortions or merge with an affiliate that already offers abortions at 1 of their sites. PPH is the logical choice. & their so-called loss will definitely not be an impediment. It will be a justification.

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USCCB Novena of Prayer & Penance for 40 Years of Roe v Wade - Day 6


Day Six: Thursday, January 24, 2012

Printable version of Day Six
Intercession: For those whose work involves promoting abortion and contraceptive use:may God help them understand that the casual sex they foster undermines the capacity for the self-giving, faithful and enduring love that is the longing of every heart.
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: On this feast of St. Francis de Sales, let us consider these words of the great saint: "All that we do must be motivated by love and not force. We must love to obey rather than fear to disobey." St. Francis reminds us that all of our actions must be borne of a spirit of love, and that we find our freedom in living the truth. As we defend the dignity of human life, let us ask St. Francis to pray for us so that everything we say and do for unborn children and their grieving parents is imbued with both compassion and truth.
Acts of Reparation (choose one):
  • Learn how to pray the Angelus. . . prayer, and get into the habit of saying it every day—at noon or 6 pm or on awakening (or all three times).
  • Today ignore your sweet tooth. Make healthy eating choices.
  • Clean a room in your house without being asked or without telling anyone. Pray for your family members while you clean, "and your Father who sees in secret will repay you" (Matthew 6:6).
Did you know? Surveys shows that most young adults want to be married one day, but contraceptive use encourages self-centeredness rather than self-control and long-term commitment. The percentage of adults who are married has fallen from over 72% in 1960 to only 52% in 2009, and many men are no longer willing to marry the mother of their children. Single women have 83% of abortions. Currently 41% of births in the U.S. are to single moms, up from 17% three decades ago. Cohabiting and single-parent families are 3 times more likely to be poor and face higher risks (compared to married families) of physical and mental abuse, dissatisfaction with life and depression. Citations are at http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/respect-life-program/2012/upload/life-matters-contraceptives-and-womens-well-being.pdf.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

What Is Sad Is That She Really Believes In What She Is Saying

Disgusting as well.

Meet Mary Elizabeth Williams:



She is a staff writer for Salon. Her recent column on why she is pro-abortion would be considered a sick joke if she wasn't so serious.
The title alone gives you a clue about where she is heading, So what if abortion ends a life? Yes she is admitting that abortion takes the life of a human being. But she is so callous that she thinks it is OK.
Why? Because she says that "All life is not created equal." You read that right. She is basically repudiating the Declaration of Independence, endorsing Hitler's attempts to kill the Jewish people because they were inferior & not fully human, & fully embracing Margaret Sanger's racist, eugenic agenda.
The last should be no surprize for those reading the article. It was written to applaud Planned Parenthood's recent announcement that they were backing away from the term choice & seeking to be more nuanced about why someone should be able to have an abortion.
She is somewhat aware of how this makes the pro-abortion side look. She says they could "wind up looking like death-panel-loving, kill-your-grandma-and-your-precious-baby storm troopers". No, it makes them look like something much worse. Something she fails to admit.
She fails to admit what this actually makes them look like because of what it justifies if you follow it to her logical conclusion. So where does her logic lead? Let's take a look.
I already made some reference to others who held this view & how they lived it out. Hitler's agenda led to the death of 6 million Jews. Sanger & Planned Parenthood have been doing their best to ensure the elimination of blacks & hispanics whom she saw as racially inferior, not equal to her idea of what a human should be.
So, if someone sees blacks as less than equal to whites, why shouldn't he own blacks as slave? If you follow her logic, that is where you end up. 
Now I am sure she will deny that it would lead to this. But remember, many slave owners did view blacks as not being humans, just property. & in the Dredd Scott decision, the Supreme Court affirmed that view. Their lives weren't equal to that of whites. We have already been there in this country, so why not again.
So who decides which lives have more value. In this case, she has decided that the mother's life is. But who made her the final authority?  
She would say that in this case, she isn't the final authority, but the woman is. But if the woman can decide that about her child, then why can't that same right to decide extend to everyone about everyone else?
If every life is not equal, who is to be the final arbitrator of who deserves to live & who doesn't?
What is to prevent another Hitler from coming along & deciding that Jews, blacks or even women are lives that are not equal to the group he wants in charge?
Much as she may not like it, her view justifies racism, it justifies racial cleansing, it justifies slavery, treating women as 2nd class as well as the evil of abortion. Much as I hate to say it, she is saying that it was OK for Adam Lanza to kill his mother as well as the students & teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School. After all, he could very well have seen himself as better than those he killed. Her logic could even be used to justify rape. That it could makes me sick. 
Williams has drawn back the curtain & shown us the demonic evil behind what she advocates. The sad part is that among those embracing the "culture of death" this won't be shocking at all. Even sadder is the fact that, because or devaluation of life has been so gradual, a huge part of America as a whole won't be shocked either. If an abortion supporter had said this 35 years ago, you can be sure that abortion would have quickly been banned. But because of that devaluation, she is simply one of those showing us the way we are heading. She is much like Peter Singer in that respect. Remember that he said that a human being has to earn the right to live, it doesn't come automaticly, before or after birth .
In his homily at Mass yesterday, Fr. Parker (St. Mary's Catholic Church, E DBQ), said that we need more people to pray for this country lest it be destroyed. He added that what has probably kept it from already happen is that some people have been praying as they should.
Please, please, keep praying if you do, for this country to repent & return to God. If not, then please start. & challenge others to do the same. Apparently it still isn't too late. But for how long?

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USCCB Novena of Prayer & Penance for 40 Years of Roe v Wade - Day 5


Day Five: Wednesday, January 23, 2012

Printable version of Day Five
Intercession: For scientists and pharmaceutical employees who help create and manufacture contraceptive and abortifacient drugs: that the Lord will open their eyes to the moral danger and health risks these drugs pose for women and prompt them to work only on medications that benefit human life.
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: In today's Gospel, we hear how Jesus grieved the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, as he heals the man with the withered hand. Let us open our hearts in faith, entrusting our culture to the healing power of Christ, the One who has overcome sin and the power of evil. We recall the words of Pope Benedict XVI, having faith that "this God exists, and hence that this power to 'take away the sin of the world' (Jn 1:29) is present in the world" (Saved in Hope [Spe Salvi], 36).
Acts of Reparation (choose one):
  • Gratitude helps us love God and neighbor. Today try to not complain or be negative. Say a prayer of thanksgiving instead.
  • Sometimes we forget to quiet ourselves and spend quality time with God. Fast from Facebook or Twitter today. Spend that extra time meditating on a Gospel passage.
  • Don't push the snooze button. Get right out of bed and offer your day in prayer to God. "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (Ephesians 5:14).
Did you know? More than 360 young women using the patch, contraceptive ring or Yaz/Yasmin pills have died in recent years due to heart attacks, strokes or pulmonary embolisms associated with these drugs and devices. The World Health Organization declared that the estrogen in contraceptives can cause cancer in humans. See "Life Matters: Contraceptives and Women's Well-Being," and here.

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