Catholic church

Can Gay Catholics Find A Home In The Catholic Church?

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:38:06 GMT

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
By David Gibson Religion News Service NEW YORK (RNS) When Cardinal Timothy Dolan used the morning talk shows on Easter Sunday to say the Catholic church could do a better job of welcoming gays and lesbians, his remarks were hailed by one activist as an “Easter miracle” and by another as an encouraging “first step.” Read More... More on Religion and Sexuality ...

Once Upon A Time, The Catholic Church Decided.....

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:09:02 GMT

Source: forums.somd.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
Link to original article. "From time to time, politicians and other rulers-of-men like to categorize the natural world not according to biology, but rather for convenience or monetary gain." ..... "There were once between 60 and 400 million beavers (Castor canadensis) occupying the rivers and streams of North America, from the great white north to the deserts of northern Mexico. Then the Europeans came. With them came disease along with an insatiable desire for beaver pelts and for beaver castoreum, a urine-like secretion often used in perfume and cologne. Combined with the once-sustainable hunting of beaver by indigenous North Americans for their meat, the beaver population rapidly declined. (The species is now rebounding, thanks to trapping regulations, and now includes some 6 to 12 million individuals) In addition to disease, the European settlers also brought Catholicism with them, and successfully converted a large proportion of the indigenous population. And the native Americans and Canadians loved their beaver meat. So in the 17th century, the Bishop of Quebec approached his superiors in the church and asked whether his flock would be permitted to eat beaver meat on Fridays during Lent, despite the fact that meat-eating was forbidden. Since the semi-aquatic rodent was a skilled swimmer, the church declared that the beaver was a fish. Being a fish, beaver barbeques were permitted throughout Lent. Problem solved!" ...

Once Upon A Time, The Catholic Church Decided That Beavers Were Fish

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Source: www.scientificamerican.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
From time to time, politicians and other rulers-of-men like to categorize the natural world not according to biology, but rather for convenience or monetary gain. Take, for example, the tomato. The progenitor of ketchup is a seed-bearing structure that grows from the flowering part of a plant. It is, by definition, a fruit. In 1893, however, the US Supreme Court ruled in the case of Nix v. Hedden that the tomato was a vegetable, subject to vegetable import tariffs. Even if the tomato is, technically, a fruit, it tends to be treated in American cuisine as a vegetable, wantonly littering our salads with its jelloey gooeyness. [More] ...

QUAERITUR: Greek island without a Catholic church on Sunday

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:01:32 GMT

Source: wdtprs.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
From a reader: we will be on a Greek island without a Catholic church on a Sunday: can we attend the Greek mass and/or receive the Sacrament? You can, and I think should, attend the Greek Divine Liturgy if attending a Catholic Mass is not possible. The impossibility of attending a Catholic Mass in a Catholic church or chapel that day absolves you of your obligation (no one is bound by law to do what is impossible). Even though you can’t fulfill your canonical Sunday obligation, and therefore you are absolved of that obligation, you still have an obligation in natural law to worship God. Since the Liturgy of the Greek church is valid and reverent, you can surely fulfill your natural law obligation than to worship with the Greek Orthodox church. As to the reception of Holy Communion, can. 844 §2 states, “whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage commends it, and provided the danger of error indifferentism is avoided, Christ’s faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, may lawfully receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.” Therefore, it is possible, from the Catholic perspective , to receive. However, the Greek Orthodox church may differ! As I understand it, the Orthodox do not entirely agree with us on this principle. They will not, as I understand it, adminis ...

AA-1025 and the Catholic Church “Makeover”

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Source: www.thecatholicthing.org --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Editor's note: Thanks to a generous gift from a generous man in Big Sky country last evening, we've got just $4700 to go in our fifth anniversary fund drive. You can all do the simple math: 47 x $100, 94 x $50, and so on through various permutations. Bigger gifts means fewer are needed, and then we can all go on to better things sooner. Personally, I'd like to give the pursuit of filthy lucre a rest, and I know the TCT readers well enough to guess that you would too. But we haven't survived these five years by not meeting the challenges that simply have to be met. So let’s bring this thing to a spectacular end. I can’t quit until we have what we need to finish our job, which is also a vocation for writers, readers, editors, IT people, and many more who contribute alike. So if you would like Royal to return quickly to a role that does not necessitate his dunning you every morning in this space, please do you bit – as big a bit as you can manage in this special year – right away. – Robert Royal GIVE to support TCT Those of us old enough to recall Cold War rumors prior to Vatican II may remember stories about Soviet agents sent en masse to infiltrate seminaries and to bring down the church by stealth from within. Some of these rumors originated with Bishop Fulton Sheen. One of his converts from Communism indicated that she had had a part in recruiting these special agents. In 1972, the French author, Marie Carré (1905-1984), publi ...

The Renewal of Sacred Music and the Liturgy in the Catholic Church: Movements Old and New – Saint Paul, Minn., October 2013

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:25:00 GMT

Source: www.dfwcatholic.org --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
October 13-15, 2013 The CMAA is thrilled to announce a conference honoring the legacy of Msgr. Schuler at Saint Agnes church in Saint Paul, Minnesota. www.musicasacra.com/st-agnes The registration page is now up and running! Registration deadline is September 13. If you're looking for an immersion experience in beautiful liturgies and sacred music, thought-provoking and inspiring presentations on historical and current issues in sacred music and liturgy, and a chance to meet others working in sacred music and the liturgy from around the country, we hope you'll come! Our line up of keynote speakers includes well-known figures: - Dom Alcuin Reid – “The New Liturgical Movement after the Pontificate of Benedict XVI” - Dr. William Mahrt – “The Treasury of Sacred Music at Saint Agnes: From Chant to Mozart” - Jeffrey Tucker -“Chant as Free Culture: The Legacy of Msgr. Schuler’s Revolutionary Resistance” Other topics covered by scholars include: - Austrian orchestral Masses - Rubrics and liturgical documents - The 20th-century Liturgical Movement - Louis Bouyer and Annibale Bugnini - Liturgical architecture - Gregorian chant and Solesmes - Spanish Renaissance music - Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman - Evelyn Waugh and Flannery O'Connor's views on liturgical changes - The role of silence in ...

Catholic Church in Philippines Holds Mass in Malls

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:22:24 GMT

Source: philippines.ucanews.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Early on a Sunday morning, people are already streaming into a massive shopping mall in Manila. The seven-story Robinsons Place is a temple of consumerism. It houses about 350 stores, including gun shops, dental offices, massage parlors, and a Kenny Rogers Roaster. The music and the crowds can be a little overwhelming after a while. But up on the fourth floor, next to the Cineplex and a barber shop, the atmosphere is more soothing. A Catholic Mass is being offered for hundreds of Filipino mall-goers who are seated in plastic chairs around a makeshift altar. To reach his congregants, the priest switches between English and the local language, Tagalog. The Catholic church in the Philippines is doing all it can to reach out. Even though the Philippines is the third largest Catholic country in the world, the church has been losing followers. In this hot, humid country, many families prefer to spend Sundays in climate-controlled malls than in church. So the priests have followed them. At Robinsons, I meet Father Maximo Villanueva. He also preaches at a nearby church but he admits that the mall is more user-friendly. And there are benefits to celebrating Mass in a shopping center. “About a second after the Mass you can eat anywhere and go to the movies. I like it,” Father Villanueva says, laughing. But the Catholic church’s problems run deeper than a lack of AC. Many Filipinos are dismayed by the sex abuse scandals in the church and th ...

County wants to sell land back to Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:44:17 GMT

Source: washington-ia.villagesoup.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Washington County Board of Supervisors met in closed session with county attorney Larry Brock on Tuesday, May 21, to discuss strategy with counsel in accordance to Iowa Code Chapter 21.5(l)(j). When the supervisors returned to open session, they authorized the county attorney to draft a letter to the Holy Trinity Parish Finance Committee outlining the possible sale of land back to Holy Trinity Catholic ... ...

Social Media vs. the Catholic Church (?)

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:04:37 GMT

Source: www.taylormarshall.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Here's the summary of this post: "How the Internet is game-changer for the Catholic church." Keep reading if you're interested... This summer I'll be speaking at the 2013 Catholic Media Conference in Denver . I'll be giving a presentation on the "Ethics of Social Media." The elements of social media (internet, blogs, podcasts, synchronous college courses, live streaming internet radio, phone texts, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) are now a permanent part of our lives. You can try to be a Luddite, but not for long. You will drown in the waves. You will lose the cultural battle. Think about these two bullets: Social media now has the power to bring pornographic videos through an iPhone into a teenager's bedroom. Social media now has the power to bring videos of the Pope celebrating Mass, Bibles, Catechisms, and Fulton Sheen mp3s to China, North Korea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. - places where missionary efforts have been widely blocked. As Uncle Ben from Spiderman cribbed from the Bible: "With great power, comes great responsibility." How can Catholics surf the wave of information crashing upon us? No doubt, the power of information just became more powerful. Information is faster and easier. This is like fire. It can bring about great good and great evil. Fire can burn down your house and crackle the skin off your bones. Fire can also cook your steak and warm your home. The problem is not the fire per se. As you know, Popes issue encyc ...

Catholic Church says ‘defy e-tolls’

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:34:08 GMT

Source: gatewaynews.co.za --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
File picture: iolnews Originally published in iolnews The Roman Catholic church has added its powerful voice to the swelling opposition against charging motorists for using South Africa’s freeways, calling the proposed e-tolling “morally unjust”. It urged people into open rebellion by calling on them not to buy e-tags or pay the toll fees. As Parliament pushes through the e-toll bill, the co-ordinator of the Justice and Peace Department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, Father Michael Deeb, said e-tolling would be a further burden on the poor who were battling to find jobs and live with steep electricity and food prices. ‘ Total corruption’ “We believe, after the research we have done, that at best the whole e-tolling is gross misappropriation of public funds and at worst is total corruption,” he said. “We as the church have been concerned.” A select parliamentary committee on public services met earlier this month to discuss the Transport and Related Matters Amendment Bill and unanimously approved a word change amendment before sending it back to the portfolio committee. The amendment, proposed by ANC MP Raseriti Tau, changed a section to say that when the minister of transport makes a regulation in terms of the law, this must be submitted to Parliament for “consideration” instead of the original term “comment”. The bill amends the law to allow for the electronic collection of tolls and the prosecution of thos ...

Dominican Republic court hands Catholic Church a stunning setback

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:46:06 GMT

Source: www.dominicantoday.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Santo Domingo.- A National District court on Monday handed down an unprecedented setback against Dominican Republic’s Catholic church, denying it a restraining order against the family planning organization’s (ProFamilia) sex education campaign. ...

Director of Youth Catholic Ministry – Good Shepherd Catholic Church (Frankfort, KY)

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:47:38 GMT

Source: www.dfwcatholic.org --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
DIRECTOR OF YOUTH Catholic MINISTRY Youth Ministry, FT EmployeeGood Shepherd Catholic church (Frankfort, KY)We are seeking a Catholic who has a passion for evangelization and skill in the solid Catholic faith-formation of youth, who is faithful to the ... ...

Director of Faith Formation – Good Shepherd Catholic Church (Frankfort, KY)

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:35:00 GMT

Source: www.dfwcatholic.org --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION Religious Education, FT EmployeeGood Shepherd Catholic church (Frankfort, KY)The DFF is expected to oversee faith formation at the parish from birth to death. In addition to directorial duties, he/she will personally run sac... ...

Catholic Church says defy e-tolls

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:39:25 GMT

Source: www.iol.co.za --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Roman Catholic church has added its powerful voice to the swelling opposition against e-tolling. ||| Durban - The Roman Catholic church has added its powerful voice to the swelling opposition against charging motorists for using South Africa’s freeways, calling the proposed e-tolling “morally unjust”. It urged people into open rebellion by calling on them not to buy e-tags or pay the toll fees. As Parliament pushes through the e-toll bill, the co-ordinator of the Justice and Peace Department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, Father Michael Deeb, said e-tolling would be a further burden on the poor who were battling to find jobs and live with steep electricity and food prices. “We believe, after the research we have done, that at best the whole e-tolling is gross misappropriation of public funds and at worst is total corruption,” he said. “We as the church have been concerned.” A select parliamentary committee on public services met earlier this month to discuss the Transport and Related Matters Amendment Bill and unanimously approved a word change amendment before sending it back to the portfolio committee. The amendment, proposed by ANC MP Raseriti Tau, changed a section to say that when the minister of transport makes a regulation in terms of the law, this must be submitted to Parliament for “consideration” instead of the original term “comment”. The bill amends the law to allow for the electronic collect ...

Catholic church says legal aid cuts will harm human trafficking victims

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:01:16 GMT

Source: www.guardian.co.uk --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Letter sent to justice secretary by senior Catholic officials warns that residency test for legal aid will harm vulnerable people Victims of human trafficking and domestic abuse will be deprived of courtroom support under government proposals to make further cuts in legal aid, the Catholic church has warned the justice secretary. Chris Grayling has been sent a letter signed by senior Catholic officials and charities condemning his proposals for introducing a dual residency test on the grounds that it will harm the most vulnerable who have recently arrived in the United Kingdom. The letter, seen by the Guardian, has been released on the day that lawyers in London stage protests against the Ministry of Justice's consultation, Transforming Legal Aid, which is aimed at slicing at least £220m out of the annual legal aid budget. The MoJ consultation, reflecting political concerns about immigration, declares that "individuals with little or no connection to this country are currently able to claim legal aid to bring civil legal actions at UK taxpayers' expense". It proposes that legal aid should be available only for people lawfully resident in the UK who have lived in the country for at least 12 months. Members of the armed forces and asylum seekers, however, would be exempt from this two-stage residence test. The letter from representatives of the Catholic church calls for similar exemptions to be given to victims of human trafficking ...

Are you sure it’s not the Catholic Church’s register...

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:38:18 GMT

Source: atheistjack.tumblr.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Are you sure it’s not the Catholic church’s register of pedophile priests? ...

Can The Roman Catholic Church Get Rid Of Its Demons?

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:59:41 GMT

Source: forums.randi.org --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/pop...ce=twitterfeed Will the RCC have a "New Dawn" under Francis, or will it go back to the Middle Ages, exorcising the Demons of Abortion? ...

Catholic church supports e-toll protest

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:14:00 GMT

Source: www.bizcommunity.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) has applauded the Catholic church's stance against the e-tolling of Gauteng highways. Read more... | Send to a friend ...

Catholic church will benefit from installing solar panels

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Source: www.scottsdale.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Construction will begin this week on covered parking that will support 990 solar panels that should virtually eliminate the electricity bill at a church on the Phoenix'Scottsdale border. The installation will take place at Blessed Sacrament Catholic church at 64th Street and Cholla Road. ...

Catholic Church Whistle-Blowers Join Forces On Abuse

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:09:45 GMT

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
They call themselves Catholic Whistleblowers, a newly formed cadre of priests and nuns who say the Roman Catholic church is still protecting sexual predators. Although they know they could face repercussions, they have banded together to push the new pope to clean house and the American bishops to enforce the zero-tolerance policies they adopted more than a decade ago. The group began organizing quietly nine months ago without the knowledge of their superiors or their peers, and plan to make their campaign public this week. Most in the steering group of 12 have blown the whistle on abusers in the past, and three are canon lawyers who once handled abuse cases on the church’s behalf. Four say they were sexually abused as children. ...