Louisiana Catholic Blogger Roundup for Oct 31

Worshipers hold candles to light the night in St. John's Cathedral Graveyard in Lafayette Louisiana during the All Souls Day mass on Wednesday night.

This LA Catholic update is rushed because it is late. But here are the blogs that have updated.
Alive and Young has a post up called Don't Miss the Harp Solo . I really enjoy this post Dear Wormwood

Arrival : The Parousian Weblog has a good post up called Addressing the conditioned relativist: Part Two

Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks has a goodie for us. Check out Another Free Gift?. Also see her posts Happy All Hallow's Eve, Differences, and It All Adds Up to Wonderful.

A Number of Things has a post called A Review.

Catholic Tube some fine vids up as usual. Check this one out on the heresy of female ordination movement.

From The Recamier is back at home. She has a great post as usual today. Full of facts and things we need to know. As usual a must stop on your internet day.

We now end with The Brown Pelican.
SPOOF: Twas the Night Before Halloween, In Comes The Past, The Present, The Future
EVIDENCE: THE RICH ARE GETTING RICHER AND SO ARE THE POOR
Atheism for Christmas?
Memo to Satan: Happy Halloween, loser!
HellCo's Corporate Propaganda
Holiday Hysteria - Today is Halloween!
Benedict XVI Calls on the Media to Serve the Truth
Liturgical Year End Reminds Us That This World Isn’t Our Final Home
Henry Hyde to Get Presidential Medal of Freedom for Opposing Abortion
Australia's Cardinal Pell Warns of Coming 'War' on Church from Biotech, Gay 'Rights', Islamic Fears
TODAY'S GOSPEL & MEDITATION - Up Against the Narrow Gate

LSU Player Odom will be issued a misdemeanor summons for criminal damage of property this afternoon

UPDATED FULL POICE REPORTS SUMMARY.
This is a update to the LSU player Situation. As in the Ryan Perriloux thread I posted earlier, New Orleans Radio has stated that Odom is off the team. This is what I expected after going through two days of "rumors" It also shows why Ryan attorney(who represents the players Pro-Bono did not take Odom's case also.

More at at this news report here.

The Pope Preaches To Us In the Rain- Pope Benedict Talking Church Fathers Again this Wednesday(Christians and Wealth and Politics)

Thanks Again to the Ratzinger Forum for the quick translation and the pics from today Wednesday Audience. Here we go with the the weekly Wednesday Installment of the Pope Speaks!!! I think this one is very interesting because of what the Pope is hitting on. That is Christians and the whole wealth thing and what you are suppose to do with it. Also he is hitting on the relationships between Christianity and Politics. I think it is really Worth printing this one out. Not only for our own use in our Catholic faith but to give us a clue what the Pope has planned in some very anticipated documents coming up.

AUDIENCE OF 10/31/07Here is a translation of the Holy Father's catechesis at the General Audience at St. Peter's Square this morning.

Dear brothers and sisters! Between the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the fifth, another Father of the Church, after St. Ambrose of Milan, contributed decisively to the spread and consolidation of Christianity in northern Italy. He is St. Maximus, whom we meet as Bishop of Turin in 398, one year after the death of Ambrose. There is very little information about him. In recompense, a collection of about 90 sermons have come down to us.

From these emerges the profound and vital link of the Bishop to his city, which also attests an evident point of contact between the episcopal ministry of Ambrose and that of Maximus. At that time, serious tensions upset the normal order of civil coexistence. In this context, Maximus succeeded to consolidate the Christian population around him as pastor and teacher. The city was threatened by scattered groups of barbarians who, having entered through the eastern passes, were pushing towards the western Alps. Because of this, Turin was permanently protected by military garrisons, which became, during critical moments, a refuge for the people fleeing the countryside and unprotected urban centers . Maximus's interventions in the face of this situation bear witness to his commitment to do something about the civilian degradation and disaggregation.

Even if it is difficult to determine the social composition of the people that his Sermons addressed, it appears that his preaching - not risking generalities - was addressed specifically to a selected nucleus of the Christian community of Turin, consisting of rich landowners who had their possessions in the countryside and their homes in the city. It was a clear pastoral choice by the Bishop, who saw in this kind of preaching the most effective way to maintain and reinforce his own links to the people.


To illustrate Maximus's ministry in this perspective, I wish to refer, for example, to Sermons 17 and 18, dedicated to a theme that is always topical - that of wealth and poverty in the Christian communities. Because even in this field, serious tensions ran through the city.

Wealth was accumulated and hidden. "No one thinks of the needs of others," the Bishop said bitterly in Sermon 17. "Indeed, many Christians not only do not distribute from their own properties, but plunder those of others. I sayz: not only do they fail to lay down the money they take in 'at the feet of the apostles', but even drag away from the feet of the apostles their brothers who seek assistance."

He concludes: "Many guests and pilgrims come to our city. Do what you promised," adhering to the faith, "so that what was said of Ananias may not be said of you: 'You have not lied to men but to God.'" (Sermon 17, 2-3), In the next Sermon, the 18th, Maximus stigmatizes recurrent forms of looting and profiteering from the misfortunes of others. "Tell me, Christian," the Bishop asked his faithful," tell me: why have you taken the plunder abandoned by the plunderers? Why have you brought to your house any 'profit', as you may think of it, which was gained by force and contaminated?"

"Perhaps," he continued, "you thought you had 'bought' it, and thereby think you can avoid being accused of avarice. But this is not the way to establish a sale. It is alright to buy things which, in times of peace, are freely sold, but not to buy that which has been looted in plunder. ...Therefore, act like Christians and as citizens who buy back things in order to return them" (Sermon 18,3).



Maximus thereby was able to preach about the profound relation between the duties of a Christian and of a citizen. In his eyes, to live a Christian life meant taking on civic commitments as well. Vice-versa, every Christian who, "although he could live through his own labor, grabs someone else's loot with the fierceness of beasts"; who "undermines (lays a trap for) his neighbor, who every day tries to gnaw at his neighbor's boundaries, to take possession of his crops" is not only like a fox who beheads chickens but a wolf who preys on pigs" (Sermon 41,4). Compared to the prudent defensive attitude taken by Ambrose to justify his famous initiative of rescuing prisoners of war, the historical changes that have since taken place in the relations between a bishop and civic institutions emerge clearly.

Supported by a law which called on Christians to redeem prisoners of war, Maximus - with the collapse of the Roman empire's civilian authority - felt fully authorized to exercise a true and proper power of control over the city. This power would become broader and more effective to the point of substituting for the absence of magistrates and civic institutions.

In this context, Maximus did not only move to re-ignite among the faithful a traditional love for their native city, but proclaimed that it was their duty to take on fiscal responsibilities, as serious and unpleasant as they appeared to be (Sermon 26,.2). In short, the tone and substance of his Sermons assume a mature and growing consciousness of the political responsibility of a bishop in specific historical circumstances.





He was the 'lookout' for the city. Who should be these lookouts and guardians, he asks in Sermon 92, "if not the blessed bishops, who, being mounted, so to speak, on an elevated rock of wisdom for the defense of the people, see from afar the evils that are approaching?" In Sermon 89, the Bishop of Turin illustrates to the faithful his task, availing of a singular comparison between a bishop's function and that of bees: "Like the bee," he said, "(bishops) observe corporal chastity, offer the food of celestial life, use the sting of the law. They are pure in order to sanctify, gentle in order to restore, and severe in order to punish."

That is how St. Maximus described the mission of a bishop in his time. Ultimately, historical and literary analysis shows his growing awareness of the political responsibility that ecclesiastical authorities had, in a context when the latter was in fact substituting for absent civilian authority. This, in fact, was how the bishop's ministry developed in northern Italy, starting with Eusebius, who lived in his Vercelli like a monk, to Maximus, situated like a sentinel on the highest rock in the city. Obviously, the historical, cultural and social context today is profoundly different. The context today is that which my venerated predecessor, Pope John Paul II, described in his post-synodal exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, in which he offers a detailed analysis of the challenges and signs of hope for Europe today (6-22).

In any case, despite changed conditions, the duties of the believer towards his city and homeland remain valid. The interweaving of the commitment of the 'honest citizen' with that of the 'good Christian' has not grown less. In conclusion, I wish to recall what the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes says to illuminate one of the most important aspects of the unity of Christian life: the consistency between faith and behavior, between Gospel and culture. The Council exhorts the faithful to "strive to discharge their earthly duties conscientiously and in response he Gospel spirit.

They are mistaken who, knowing that we have here no abiding city but seek one which is to come, think that they may therefore shirk their earthly responsibilities. For they are forgetting that by the faith itself they are more obliged than ever to measure up to these duties, each according to his proper vocation" (n. 43). Following the magisterium of St. Maximus and many other Fathers of the Church, let us make the Council's hope ours as well, that the faithful may ever more "exercise all their earthly activities and their humane, domestic, professional, social and technical enterprises by gathering them into one vital synthesis with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are harmonized unto God's glory" (ibid), and therefore, to the good of mankind.

The following is the English synthesis of the catechesis and the Pope's greeting to English-speaking pilgrims:

In our catechesis on the Fathers of the Early Church, we now turn from Saint Eusebius of Vercelli and Saint Ambrose of Milan to another great Bishop of Northern Italy, Saint Maximus of Turin. We meet Maximus as Bishop of Turin in 398, a year after the death of Ambrose. It was a time of growing civil unrest, when Turin had become a centre of refuge for those fleeing before the barbarian invaders. His Homilies reflect a growing awareness of the responsibility of Christians to promote a just social order grounded in solidarity with the poor.

Addressed specifically to the wealthy, the Homilies inculcate concern for those in need, readiness to sacrifice for the common good and commitment to public service. Like many other Bishops of the time, Maximus found himself called upon to take on greater civic authority and responsibility. His example and teaching remind us that, whatever the age in which they live, Christian believers are called upon to carry out faithfully their duties as citizens, working to imbue temporal society with the spirit of the Gospel, and striving to achieve a vital synthesis between their duties as citizens of the earthly city and their commitment to work for the coming of God’s Kingdom of holiness, justice and peace.

I warmly greet the Sisters of the Resurrection present in Rome for the beatification of their foundress Mother Celine Chludjinska Borzencka. May the Lord grant them the grace of following generously in her footsteps. I also welcome the members of the Risso Kossei-kai Buddhist group from Japan. Upon all the English-speaking visitors, including those from England, Wales, Ireland, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, the Philippines and the United States, I invoke God’s abundant blessings.

Cardinal Ask: Was Nagasaki Bombed Because of It's Catholic Presence?

The Rome based Chiesa has a very interesting article called Nagasaki, the City of the Atomic Bomb – And of the Christian Martyrs. In it they go into the memoirs of Cardinal Giacomo Biffi that just hit bookstores. He asks a very provocative question:
"We can certainly assume that the atomic bombs were not dropped at random. So the question is inevitable: why is it that for the second slaughter, out of all the possibilities, that very city of Japan was chosen where Catholicism, apart from having its most glorious history, was also the most widespread and firmly established?"

Let me say I am very comfortable in saying the United States Govt did not drop the bomb on Nagasaki because of its Catholic presence. There is no evidence of that what so ever. It appears sadly though that the Catholic aspect of the city did not enter the discussion for targeting choices. That is not to say a "Catholic" life was worth more than a non Catholic life. However it is well known that certain potential targets were taken off the list after military leaders intervened. Such as Kyoto. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson struck Kyoto from the list because of its cultural significance.

It should also be remembered that as late as the day of the bombing Nagasaki was a secondary target. Kokura was the primary target but because of cloud cover they had orders to bomb Nagasaki.

Still the article is very interesting because it shows the Catholic presence of this city. Also might we ask this question? Though controversial to be sure one wonders if the bombing of the most Christian City in Japan is not some type of Martyrdom. That Catholic deaths in fact in the plan of the almighty might have more significance.

The issue of the atomic bombing of these cities will always be important moral question that we must grapple with. David Armstrong, noted Catholic Apologist, makes the argument that it can not be justified. His set of links are located here. I do not wish to rehash that specific debate. However some on Mr Armstrong's' site he has a few links with information that makes one pause. At this link he brings together further thoughts of the Catholic aspect of this city. Some quotes that strike me:
Fat Man exploded directly above the Catholic cathedral in Nagasaki. The city was the historical center of Catholicism in Japan and contained about a tenth of the entire Catholic population. The cathedral was filled with worshipers who had gathered to pray for a speedy and just end to the war. It is said their prayers included a petition to offer themselves, if God so willed it, in reparation for the evils perpetrated by their country.

Now that is quite stunning if true and makes one pause. Is this fable? I think it is safe to say no one survived that day that was present in that Church. However this is coming from somewhere
Even more stunning:
It is ironic that this most Catholic of Japanese centers should have been targeted for the second atomic bomb of 1945.
One of the original martyrs executed at Nagasaki in 1597 was a Mexican-born Franciscan friar, canonized in 1862 as St. Philip of Jesus. As he was about to die on his cross, he is reported to have foretold that one day Nagasaki would be destroyed by “a ball of fire dropping from the sky.”
His Japanese enemies no doubt sneered at the warning then, but we have seen it tragically fulfilled.

Is this truth or fable? I would love to find some pre bombing documentation of this quote or that this story was indeed in existence before the bombing of Nagasaki.

--Father Robert F. McNamara

So who knows. The ways of God are indeed mysterious.

(UPDATED WITH FULL POLICE REPORT SUMMARIES)Media Reporting LSU's Ryan Perrilloux TO BE Cleared Of All Wrong Doing

Sources: Perrilloux to be Cleared of Wrongdoing

That media outlet is a pretty dependable source. I have seen this coming and I think it is the right move. So much of this has been fueled by rumors and even made up police reports that are on the net. I could tell they were fake in in 2 minutes. Others for some reason thought they were gospel.

I think Ryan has some growing up to do. He needs to do it quick because he is about to the face of LSU football and be given the keys to Playboy mansion next year. Let us just hope this episode has woke him up.

Note- That however Benton and Odom have been dismissed from the team(Thank God)

Update- I have another breaking link here at LSU Player Odom will be issued a misdemeanor summons for criminal damage of property this afternoon .

UPDATE II- Full summary of all police reports from the Advocate.

He could have been governor. He could have been president. Now he’s a traitor. He’s not even sexy anymore.”

So says LSU fan Linda Hendricks as reported in this entertaining New York Times piece called In L.S.U. Country, Fans Fret Over a Familiar Rival . Guess who she is talking about. Fun article but perhaps we should ask the Times not to give us such great national coverage while we are so emotional this week :)

Mike Huckabee- The New Willams Jennings Bryan?

Tip of the Hat to Astonished Yet At Home that led me to his great article on Mike Huckabee. Pretty good read here at William Jennings Huckabee.

I think you can get some insight why he is a winner

Priests Can Be Patriotic Too

For God , For Country, For Yale talks about one small priest making a difference for the faithful, for his country , and his Lord. May his number increase. Go see his post Patriotic Priest . It is a very good read.

Catholic Football Blogger Wins AGAIN- The Streak Continues

I am a pretty superstitious football fan. I have been highlighting the season of the Yale Football team this fall. Why? Because a Catholic blogger that runs a pretty good blog plays there. I was sick yesterday so I was not able to give the usual update. Therefore I better do it today before I cause bad luck by breaking this weekly ritual. Got to For God , For Country, and For Yale and see his post On Columbia.

Why Does That Idiot Finebaum Have A Column In Bama Newspapers-CALLS BATON ROUGE TOXIC DUMP

I really feel sorry for Auburn fans. How they live in a state where Paul Finebaum(Bama Suckoff expert) is writing and broadcasting his bile on the airwaves is beyond me.

His latest article is a piece of work. It is called Saban up on LSU already. I mean look at this:
Saban is about the challenge, the process. He had already proven he can turn Louisiana on its head. He didn't need to prove anymore at a place that had been so mired in mediocrity (eight losing seasons in 11 years before he arrived). Besides, five years in a toxic waste dump like Baton Rouge must have felt like a lifetime.

I have a hard time seeing a sportwriters in most of the respectable papers in the South referring to people or their hometowns this way. He should be writing the sports column for things such as "GUIDE TO ALABAMA EXOTIC DANCER AND STRIP CLUB MAGAZINE" rather than the Press Register.

Celebrating All Saints and All Souls Day at Home

I love All Saints and All Souls day. To me they are some of the most important days on the Catholic calender. I shall be devoting some of my Catholic posts the next few days to this subject. As for many Catholic holidays the American Catholic culture has left an opportunity slip here to some degree. There are traditions involving these two Holy days that are great opportunities for promoting the Faith, Catholic ID, oh and helping the Souls in purgatory.. Also for kids there are tons of great aspects to this. What kid would not dig going to a cemetery at night and lighting candles on gravestones? Well that is still done.

I do have hopes that the latest immigration wave from Mexico might help us reclaim these tradition more. As perhaps Bush would say "They are doing the jobs we native born Catholics refuse to do".

I thought Vox Nova and Radical Catholic Mom had a nice post here at How to Celebrate All Saints/All Souls in the Home.

Praise The Saints- Tancredo Not To Run Again--Republicans No Longer Lose Votes Over Moonbat

Hopefully he will stop this embarrassing race for President soon. I was sick yesterday and missed this great news. I am not a big fan of Rep Tancredo. The Pink Flamingo echos my own thoughts and jubilations at BREAKING: What a Day! The Red Sox Win & Tancredo Calls It Quits! .

Be sure to watch Tancredo Watch for more of the good news. I can think of a certain Utah Republican congressman that is jubilant too. Oh and you can bet President Bush is smiling as well

The Australian Press Is Just as Bad as The American

Thanks to the The Pink Flamingo who gave me this link. Turns out that the Australian media is about bizaree and unfair as the media beast here. Go see Media Bias and Bastardry.

Louisiana Catholic Blogger Roundup For Oct 30th

Members of St Augustine Catholic Church gathered in small groups to remember those passed. The evening ended with a gumbo supper in the church hall. There is a incredible set of pictures of this Louisiana tradition here. I say tradition. It is a Louisiana Catholic tradition that needs a big shot in the arm if you ask me. Hopefully this will continue to be a part of All Souls and All Saints day that is coming up.

Alive and Young has a post up called Buying From Spam . This post is pretty funny. Check out Roman Missal Command

Astonished Yet at Home needs our prayers as he tells us here at Emergency Room Trip . Let me pick up on the excellent post he had yesterday that I missed because of my illness. The New William Jennings Bryan is a post related to Hike Huckabee. I might do a separate entry on that once I read it in full. This look intriguing and I shall also put this on my must read list. Go see The Real Mexico .He gives his Final Thoughts on This Year in Baseball . We Will Always Love You is news about the death of a country music icon. This wonderful. Go see Martyred Spanish Layman's Love Letter . ANOTHER link I am putting aside for later. Go see Joy Is Rooted in the Freedom that God Gives which is Pope Benedict XVI reflecting on the example of Beethoven.
He has a post here that is critical of George Will at Abortion's "So-What" Factor . Tobias says "the column is more evidence that the Republican party cannot be trusted on abortion". Well I suppose I just will give up :). To be honest besides people that watch THIS WEEK I don't know a ton of people that think George Will is a big influence on the Republican party. He has done some humdinger of some columns that were way out there. Will is like PEggy Noonan. Someone that needs to get out of their "inside the beltway" concoon

Catholic Underground has a interesting post up. Turns out they were interviewed by a major Catholic Apologetic magazine. Here it is at Episode 56: Envoyage!. Louisiana Catholic Blogger!!! Hear us roar!!!

The Lake Charles Latin Mass Society has a important update on "Latin Mass Schedules" at Update.

Fr. Victor Brown’s Catholic Daily Message has a great message up at his daily update. Go to Feast of Saint Alponsus Rodriguez (30 Oct 2007)

Father Allen has come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a routine Priestly life. Go see Priestly Living

Full Circle has several good post us. Go see So my wife was confronted about homeschooling . Also please read Given the propensity of cynical people to dress as a Catholic priest for Halloween ...

Catholic Tube has some Vids up. Go see this one on the problems of porn. Also see Catholic Bishops Oppose Majimbo

From The Recamier is still blogging on vacation. Go see her latest here.

A Number of Things has more pics of her camping trip up. Go see Camping Time Again

Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks has a link to a new column she wrote at My New Column is Up...

Thoughts & Ruminations from Fr. Ryan has a vid up believe at his latest entry. The computer I am on is hyperactive on the filter device so I can't see it. I relates thought to St Augustine.

Footprints on the Fridge has a nice post up called Loveliness of Leaves

Arrival : The Parousian Weblog has a very good post up called The Beauty of Order from Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday

We end with the Brown Pelican Society. Those posts and links are:
What Would Jesus Download?
Interview with Dr. Bernhard Bueb: Education, Discipline and Liberalism
Living in a State (and a World) Where Wildfires Happen
U.S. Supreme Court Debates Child Porn Case Today
Where There's a (George) Will, There's Dismay
Finding Peace in a Stressful World
The End of America As We Know It
Social Engineering: Rio de Janeiro Governor, Also a Catholic, Promotes Legalization of Abortion to Reduce Number of Criminals
Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good
Pope Benedict XVI Tells Pharmacists Not to Dispense Drugs to Inhibit Implantation; Implications for Plan B at Catholic Hospitals
TODAY'S GOSPEL & MEDITATION - The Kingdom of Heaven Infiltrates and Enriches Everything It Touches
TODAY'S SAINT - St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (c. 1533-1617)

Great Rebuttal To Attacks On Mike Huckabee

The Mike Huckabee for President Campaign keeps on rolling and forces are trying to derail it. However that is becoming harder by the day. When people put so much of apples in the basket of dishonest propaganda then they reap what they sow.

The Evangelical Outpost has a excellent post here Fiscally Flawed? -- A Rebuttal to the Club for Growth. Send this to all your friends and link it on blog sites.

Top Ten Things to do for a Catholic Halloween(It's Ok To Have Fun)

I am always amazed by this "Can Christians Celebrate Halloween" talk we have each year.. I grew up in a very fundamentalist area of the rural South. Even here no one had a big problem with Halloween. In fact it was much much bigger then than it is now for kids. Oh and we did not go for "nice costumes". They were pretty ghoulish. I remember I went as the guy from Texas Chainsaw massacre once. I even had a chainsaw(with no chain). No one batted a eye.

The Canterbury Tales has a excellent post Top Ten Things to do for a Catholic Halloween. I think he is right on. The thing to remember is that there is a important Holy Day the next day. He hits on that too.

The best show I am ever seen on how Southerners feel about Halloween was a great episode of the cartoon classic King of the Hill regarding this silliness. Hopefully it will be played before this fin Holiday.

The Church Fathers Becoming More Important-Interview with director of the Augustinian Patristic Institute at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University

This is quite an interesting interview at The Way of The Fathers. Go see Turn, Turn, Turn . I think this part is very true.
Q: If you had to persuade youth to study the Fathers, what argument would you use?Father Dodaro: I would speak about St. Augustine. But apart from that example, I would say: Take the 10 greatest and most difficult problems in today’s Church, choose whichever ones you want, and then try to compare them to those the Church Fathers develop. In the classic patristics, you will find the roots and responses to whatever controversy the Church must confront today. This is the importance of the Church Fathers

Major American Catholic Leader Fighting Cancer-Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta(Vocation Bishop)

Sad news here but again hopeful that he caught it early. Go see Archbishop Gregory diagnosed with prostate cancer at the the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It is a very good write up on what appears to be a incredible Bishop. He is not only one of the great Catholic leaders in the United States but also a important leader for African American Catholics. African Americans are a group that in my opinion are targeted enough by the American Catholic Church. Why I don't know. However, I get a sense when I go across Catholic blog land here in the USA that there are very few "Black" Catholic bloggers. It is something I just pick up when I am reading their blogs and their life stories. In fact I just know one.

Archbishop Gregory is also a fine example that this Catholic vocation shortage we hear so much about is very inflicted.The Deacon's Bench just a few days ago had an excellent piece called In Atlanta Vocations growing vocations like peaches. A very illuminating read. Also see his post Seminarians Take a Midnight Ride to Georgia. In that post we see in part:
Across the nation there is a shortage of priests, but the Archdiocese of Atlanta's 95 churches and missions have 262 priests and more than 50 seminarians in training.

Let that soak in for a moment. Really take a step back and let that soak in. This is the deep South. This is the queen City of the Protestant South. Yet they have 50 seminarians in training. Unreal!!!!

This is a Diocese of 650,000 Catholics!!! That number is not that many considering the other demographics of that region. Pretty incredible.

Since I love history and also a Civil War buff let me throw in this interesting historical nugget about this Diocese while we are on the topic
In 1861 Fr. Thomas O’Reilly, who was to become one of Atlanta ’s most well known priests, was appointed pastor of the Atlanta Catholic Church and its missions. His pastorate was to be shaped by the War Between the States. Throughout the war, Fr. O’Reilly gave aid both in the field and in makeshift hospitals to soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Because he ministered to Union soldiers as well as those of the Confederacy (of which he was an official Confederate Chaplain), he became known personally by many individual Union soldiers. Catholics in the Federal army also attended his Masses during the siege and occupation of Atlanta .
Fr. O’Reilly and Fr. Jeremiah F. O’Neill, Jr., became known for their selfless hospital ministry during the war years. They not only personally gave material and spiritual aid to the soldiers, but also encouraged parishioners to minister to patients in the many hospitals around Atlanta .
In 1864 hearing of an order to Sherman to destroy and burn the city of Atlanta, Fr. O’Reilly warned General Slocum of Sherman’s army staff that if they persisted in the plan to burn down the Catholic Church, Sherman would face massive desertions of the Catholics in the Federal ranks.(A majority of Sherman’s forces on this campaign were said to be Catholic, and many had personal knowledge or experience of Fr. O’Reilly.) During Sherman ’s burning of Atlanta , some of these Federal soldiers did help to protect the church by preventing the setting of fires too near the church building .
Fr. O’Reilly’s intercessions with Sherman ’s staff also apparently saved the Court House, City Hall, and several other churches including St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Trinity Methodist, Second Baptist, and Central Presbyterian. All were saved from destruction, although most were occupied for various uses by the Union soldiers.
The Atlanta Catholic Church was not burned, but it was damaged by shells that exploded in the vicinity. The Northern army occupied the church building and for a time used it as a supplemental hospital.
When the citizens of Atlanta who had fled during the siege returned at the war’s end, they found their city almost totally destroyed by fire. The “spared” churches, including the Catholic church building, became places of refuge to temporarily house the homeless returnees.

LSU 's Ryan Perrilloux's Aggressive Moves to Prove his Innocence

Updated At the Bottom-

Well the LSU saga of backup Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is escalating by the day. I think there has been some interesting moves. If you are going by the national press I think you don't get the big picture of what is going on. What has got LSU fans concerned is not the fact that RP might have been involved in some minor scuffle at a club. No it is the rumors that are going 24/7 about what else happened. That is he or another Football player called Derrick Odom were waiving guns and smashed out windows of club employees.


His attorney has been quite aggressive in quashing these rumors. Just the other day he had Ryan take a Polygraph test which he passed. However in a very aggressive move we see this:

Perrilloux took a polygraph test at his lawyers office Sunday morning.
The results indicated that Perrilloux did not point a gun or have a gun to point at anybody.
Fisher issued a subpoena duces tecum to the Varisty Monday morning, requesting surveillance video from Thursday night, due in court Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
"This is a serious matter, it has evolved into a really serious matter, my clients future is at stake, his academic future as well as his athletic future," said Fisher.


Well this is a major move by his lawyer. It also shows a lawyer that has no doubt it appears about his client's innocence regarding the charges or to be more exact "scuttlebutt". However there is something else here.


We have gone from reports this weekend that the other LSU player involved , Derrick Odom, had not called Fisher to Derrick Odom having other counsel. May I suggest there are reasons for this. What will be on this VID if his lawyer gets it? Well I am willing to bet it is not Ryan Perrilloux but someone else might be on it. What this does to team dynamics I don't know. However it something to watch.

Update-
Well we have a update. It appears that Derrick Odom's attorney has gotten into the act. So we shall see if the rumors about him were true. A very interesting update here at the Advocate:
State District Judge Todd Hernandez ruled today that attorneys for LSU football players Ryan Perrilloux and Derrick Odom should get a copy of a surveillance video showing a fight early Friday between the players and bouncers from the Varsity Theatre.
Attorney Nathan Fisher, who represents Perrilloux, said he wants to see the disc because, “I have reason to believe it will help exonerate my client.”
Asked if he wants to get Perrilloux on the field Saturday, Fisher said, “I deal with criminal cases, and coach Miles deals with the football team.”
However, Odom’s lawyer, Anthony Bertucci, said he wants to get the investigation moving so the players have a chance to play with their team when LSU faces Alabama in Tuscaloosa .
No criminal charges have been filed in the case.
The video was turned over to Baton Rouge police Monday, but they have been unable to view it because of a technical difficulty, prosecutor Aaron Brooks said.
Coach Les Miles prohibited Perrilloux, a quarterback, and Odom, a linebacker, from practicing with the team Monday.+

Michigan Football Staff Getting Nervous About Les Miles?

Last night I was on the net and say a silly article at MSNBC called Even if Miles bolts, LSU fans should feel secure. The overwhelming theme of this article is that if Coach Les Miles goes to Michigan that Coach Tuberville will come to LSU. Well for several reasons I doubt that. However what is curious about this article is a paragraph is on the second page. The article goes off its train of thought and we see:
The dominos will start to fall as long and Miles can go to Michigan. Of course, the ghost of Bo Schembechler could haunt him and hold up that domino.
In Jan. 2006, Jai Eugene, a gifted defensive back from St. Rose, La., committed to Michigan on national television. A week later, Miles the Michigan Man turned Eugene back to LSU prompting a temper tantrum from Schembechler. The legendary coach, who died in 2006, called Miles from the UM football office and blasted his former assistant coach for not honoring Eugene’s commitment to Michigan. He told Miles it was not the way a Michigan Man would behave and then he hung up on Miles.
When Jim Harbaugh’s people start burning the phone lines to lobby him for the job, or Carr tries to rally support for defensive coordinator Ron English, they could all say, “You know, Bo, didn’t like Miles.”

Wow!!! Talk about a writer really going out of his way to put that in. Now first there is no indication that Bo hated Miles. In fact quite the opposite. Since Bo is dead and I really don't think Les Miles told the reporter this where did this info come from? Well I am willing to bet like many" Miles is dirty rumors" it is coming from the members of the current coaching regime of the Michigan Coaching staff. People who realize that they might not have jobs if Miles goes to Michigan.

Taking The Rest of the Day Off From Blogging-SICK

Sorry for no Daily Louisiana Catholic Blogger Update among other things. I have been feeling worse and worse as the day has gone on and I am heading home. Time for some Chicken Soup. THe weather has finally "changed" as we put it. In other words it is staying cool and that always messes me up. Till tomorrow. I shall have a much fuller posting of links and post

Two Secular Papers have Great Stories on the "Latin mass"

Father Z has two nugget from the Washington Times and a Florida Paper. Both must reads. Go to Washington Times: the older Mass for the younger congregation and Naples, FL: implementing Summorum Pontificum

What the Elite Press Do Not Get About the South

AJ Strata had a wonderful observation to more of the silly attitude of the Press toward redstaters and especially southerners. Go read In The Wake Of Katrina, GOP Success as he responds to how a reporter gives kudos to us rednecks. He says in part:
Only a self-centered Ivy league journalist ignoramous would confuse a simple life (redneck, bubba) with a simple mind. You would think Jeff Foxworthy would have opened the elitist eyes for them! But they don’t get the joke. Us southern rednecks don’t laugh at Foxworthy because he describes us so well. We laugh because he describes so well how the elitist idiots see us. It’s like are slow drawal accents. People assume it is because we think slow, when actually it gives us more time to enjoy the frustration of those who cannot handle a paced conversation.

How true. Many of us have not forgotten how the New York Press wrote hateful articles about Republican that were visiting and spending money in their town. Also giving it great publicity. I will not even get into the post 2004 election bile that came out.

The Pope's Sunday Angelus-Martyrdom a 'realistic possibility' For All Christians

Yesterday the Pope had his regular Angleus remarks yesterday. This is Angleus is briefer than the ones that he usually gives. However it is still informative and interesting. Thanks to the Ratzinger forum for the translation and pic.

ANGELUS OF 10/28/07

Here is a translation of the Holy Father's words at Angelus today.

Dear brothers and sisters! This morning, here in St. Peter's Square, 498 martyrs killed in Spain during the 1930s were proclaimed Blessed. I thank Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints, who presided at the celebration and I address my cordial greeting to the pilgrims gathered here for this joyful event.

The enrolment at one time of such a great number of martyrs in the Book of the Blessed shows that the supreme testimony of blood is not an exception reserved only for some individuals, but a realistic eventuality for the entire Christian people. These martyrs are men and women - very diverse in age, vocation and social condition - who paid with their lives for their loyalty to Christ and to his Church. We can well say of them the statements of St. Paul which echo in this Sunday's liturgy: "I am already being poured out like a libation," he writes to Timothy, "and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4,6-7), Paul, detained in Rome, sees death approaching, and traces a balance full of acknowledgment and hope. He is at peace with God and faces death serenely, with the consciousness of having spent all his life sparing nothing in the service of the Gospel.

This month of October, dedicated particularly to missionary commitment, thus closes with the luminous witness of the Spanish martyrs, who join the martyrs Albertina Berkenbrock, Emmanuel Gómez Gonzáles and Adilio Daronche, as well as Franz Jägerstätter - all proclaimed Blessed in recent days in Brazil and Austria. Their example bears witness that Baptism commits Christians to participate with courage in spreading the Kingdom of God - if necessary, with the sacrifice of life itself.

Of course, not everyone is called to a bloody martyrdom. There is also a bloodless martyrdom, which is not less significant, such as that of Celina Chludzińska Borzźcka - wife, mother, widow and religious - who was beatified here in Rome yesterday. She typifies the silent and heroic testimony of so many Christians who live the Gospel without compromises, fulfilling their duty and dedicating themselves generously to the service of the poor. This martyrdom of ordinary life is testimony that is even more important in the secularized society of our time. It is the pacific battle of love that every Christian, like Paul, should wage tirelessly - the path of spreading the Gospel to which we are committed till we die. In this daily testimony, may the Virgin Mary, Queen of Martyrs and Star of Evangelization, help and assist us.

Later, he greeted English-speaking pilgrims:

I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus, including the group from the Oratory Prep School in Oxfordshire, England. The Gospel invites us to leave aside all arrogance and pride, and to walk in humility before God and with our neighbour. The Beatifications today remind us of the importance of humbly following our Lord even to the point of offering our lives for the faith. May your stay in Rome renew your love of Christ, and may God bless you all!

He had a special greeting for Spanish-speaking pilgrims:

I affectionately salute the Spanish-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet my brother Bishops from Spain, the priests, religious, seminarians and laymen who had the joy of participating in the beatification of a great number of martyrs of your nation in the past century, as well as those who are following this Marian prayer on radio and television. Let us give thanks to God for the great gift of these heroic witnesses for the faith who, moved exclusively by love of Christ, paid with their blood for their fidelity to him and to his Church. With their testimony, they illuminate our spiritual path to holiness, and inspire us to give our lives over as an offering of love to God and our brothers. At the same time, their words and gestures of forgiveness towards their persecutors impel us to work tirelessly for mercy, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. I invite you from the heart to further strengthen everyday the communion withion the Church, to be faithful witnesses for the Gospel in the world - feeling the joy of being active members of the Church, the true Bride of Christ. Let us ask the new Blessed Ones, through the Virgin Mary, Queen of Martyrs, to intercede for the Church in Spain and in the world. May the fecundity of their martyrdom produce abundant fruits of Christian life among the faithful and in families. May the blood they shed be the seed for blessed and numerous vocations for priests, religious and missionaries. God bless you!

Some details On Pope's Upcoming US Trip Leaking

Whispers in the Loggia has some great posts on what is leaking out about the Pope's Upcoming US Trip. Go see PopeTrip '08: The Plans, v.2.0 and PopeTrip'08: In the Capital, the "State of the Unum" .

My Thoughts On the Ryan Perrilloux Debacle

First is a pretty big Cluster you know what. This could not have happened at a worse time.

There have been a lot of rumors and some are just absurd. However I feel confident that we know this
(1) LSU players went to the varsity
(2) A fight broke out
(3) Football players can be idiots
(4) Bouncers can be idiots
(5) Not all football players are idiots or "thugs"
(6) Not all bouncers are idiots or thugs
(7) one of the alleged victims was the son of the General Manager of the New Orleans Saints
(8) EX LSU football player Xavier Carter should have a restraining order not to be near 10 miles of the LSU campus
(9) If this was a just fight no big deal
(10) That the "second incident" involving allegation of criminal property damage and guns is the BIG deal
(11) That Ryan Perrilloux shows bad judgment
(12) That Derrick Odom is really the one that is facing trouble and has the most evidence against him(The Video).


As to Ryan Perrilloux I think this reports shed some light on it. Lawyers are not just having their clients take polygraphs on a whim. Most are real hesitant about it. Also the fact that the Baton Rouge Police have not done a followup with RP is a good sign. The fact that Ryan's lawyer has no problems with the Baton Rouge police interviewing Ryan is a good sign. The fact that Odom has not talked to Fisher shows me a lot.

Anytime now incident reports will be released. It will not be a pleasant day for the LSU nation.

More background here.

Louisiana Catholic Blogger Update for Oct 27th

St. Peter's Catholic Church, New Iberia- I have never seen this Catholic Church in person. Needless to say the architecture looks unique. I f I can find another picture I will post it in the future.

It is Saturday so it is a slow day on Louisiana Catholic blogs that update.
Thoughts & Ruminations from Fr. Ryan has a very cute photo under todays entry.

Alive and Young has a story about a scary encounter with the "Spirit of Vatican II" at The Man Who was Greene: A Nightmare

Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks has a nice link here at Grace Enough. This post is really great. Check out Lots of Pumpkin Ideas. Also this Louisiana Catholic blogger has a new book out. Go see her post The Ringing of Christmas Bells. Related to that. Here is news on the free book giveaway and who won The Music Has Paused...

Catholic Tube has some goods vids up as usual. An interview with Bishop Michael Burbidge, the bishop of Raleigh, North Carolina. Check out Mediation in the New Testament which is about the wedding at Canna.

From The Recamier has a great post as she continues to blog on her vacation. SHe has a lot of good stuff on facts, history, who died on this date, who was born on this date. I love the stuff on Hattie McDaniel .

We end with the Brown Pelican Society. He usually post on average about 10 links a day. Check back to see if he updated. Go see:
STUNNING: Claim that Hilary Clinton Presidency is Motive for Huge New Abortion Centers
TODAY'S GOSPEL & MEDITATION - Bearing Fruit
Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza (c. 1200-1271)

Great Article On Matt Flynn In the New York Times

It is a bye week for LSU but we shall have some football posts during the day. Louisiana Tech is still playing and I shall post on them later amidst other post on politics and and Catholic things.

The New York Times had a great article on Matt Flynn today. It is called Patience on L.S.U.’s Sideline Becomes Poise on the Field . Let me say that the fact that this article is appearing today indicates that Coaching staff and players must have impressed the Times writers when they were down a few weeks ago. For the Times to run a major LSU story on a bye week is something.

I enjoy Matt Flynn(And not just because of the rumors about you know what that happened the last few days). I enjoy him because he is what football should be all about. He could have played at other schools when it became clear that he would be stuck behind the great talent of JR who just happened to go number one in the draft. However he stuck it out and never the let the team know what frustrations he might have kept hidden. I am thrilled that JR is keeping in contact with him. JR is the only person that knows what Flynn is going through.

Anyway great article

Why DO People Fear Huckabee? Because He Can Win

I will have a major recap of the latest slams on Huckabee tomorrow. However a few points. If one observed some of the more astute liberal bloggers early in the year many said to watch out for Huckabee. That if he caught fire he would be tough to beat. It appears that many in the Republican camp that have other horses in the GOP race for the White House realize now what the KOS crowd knew then.

I mention the slam piece that was written by the Wall Street Journal on Huckabee here as well as the response(Have you emailed that link yet?)

I notice that the moderate to liberal New Republic has taken noticed at entries they have just posted at Is Huckabee "A Liberal... Just Like Bill Clinton"? and The Journal Swings into Anti-Huckabee Mode.

Huckabee is on the upswing and we GOPERS are going to have a tad of infighting. It is natural. ITS CALLED A PRIMARY. That is what happens. Then we all unite at the end.

Kevin Tracy on his blog shows some reason why people are getting concerned. Go see The Incredible Huck, Huckabee in Double Digits Nationally!, and Huckabee’s Internet Momentum. Now what has gotten certain people concerned is why and when this is taking place.

Contrary to what it looks like in blog land(where political nuts like me are hitting the google refresh button every 5 minutes) no one is really paying attention. That is the vast American public who are at this point are pretty engaged in getting the kids Halloween costumes done, High school football, and Dancing with the Stars. What makes people nervous though is that a dynamic shift is occurring among the people like us that are engaged 24/. Also that Huckabee will be entering that background noise that the American people hear from time to time in a much bigger way.

Why are they concerned? Here are some article from the last two days
Huckabee Tops Poll of Evangelical Leaders Christianity Today
Huckabee moves into top GOP tier after column- World Net
Iowans Gives Huckabee a Second Look(AP)
Mike Huckabee explains why he's surging.(Slate)
Evangelicals Flocking To Mike Huckabee Red State
Huckabee traction might cause problems for Mitt Romney in Iowa USA Daily

Let me point out this little item
What About Huckabee's Theology? Yes that is the Pat Robertson network that is doing it own slam piece.

GOP'S VALUE VOTERS: ALL HAIL HUCKABEE?New York Post

I could on and on. My suggestion to Huckabee supporters is get on the web and monitor the blogs and forums. Sign up and make a stand against false information. Also keep track of what you are receiving as election spam email. You will often find that what looks like a thousand "conservative" groups opposing Huckabee are actually the same folks under different names. More on that later as the campaign progresses

Update On Latin Mass At The Franciscan University of Steubenville

A few days ago I did a post The Latin Mass at the Univ of Steubenville and the Charismatic Movement Versus the Traditional Movement .

Tom Sofio , who is Associate Director of Public Relations at Franciscan University of Steubenville, kindly sent me a email with an official statement. I will gladly post it and thank you Mr Sofio for sending this to me. Please note anything that is in bold is something I did and not part of the original email.

Regarding the Traditional Latin Mass and Franciscan University of Steubenville As a Catholic university with a long history of faithfulness to the magisterium of the Catholic Church, Franciscan University of Steubenville fully supports Pope Benedict XVI’s recent Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, which expands the use of the Traditional Latin Mass.Franciscan University fully supports the plans for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Latin rite Mass at St. Peter Church in Steubenville. Franciscan University is located within the boundaries of St. Peter Parish, making it the official parish for the University and the repository for the records of any sacraments celebrated on the campus.

Summorum Pontificum indicates that it is the parish priest who is to accede to the requests of those attached to the previous liturgical tradition. The pastor of St. Peter Parish, Monsignor George Yontz, with the full support of Steubenville Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, has met with St. Peter parishioners, including Franciscan University students, and people from other parishes in the area. He is working with them to prepare for the proper celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form, and the University will remain in communication with him throughout this unfolding process.

The University is pleased that St. Peter’s will be the site for this, as it is easily accessible to our University members, being just one mile from campus. The University will provide transportation for students who need it to and from St. Peter’s Church for the traditional Latin rite Masses. The first traditional Latin rite Mass will be celebrated at St. Peter’s on Sunday, November 25, the Feast of Christ the King. The dates of future Masses will be announced later by the parish office.

As the oldest Catholic church in the Steubenville diocese, St. Peter’s has the high altar, communion railing, and other requirements to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Latin rite, which are not found in many area churches.

It will provide a beautiful and fitting setting in which interested students can enter more fully into this ancient liturgy. Franciscan University will continue to offer its monthly Latin Novus Ordo Mass. In October, the University expanded the Sunday Mass offerings from three to four, with Sunday Mass now offered at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Huckabee Supporters-PLEASE LINK AND EMAIL THIS REBUTTAL TO WSJ SLAM PIECE

I am about to to do an major post on the slam piece against Governor Huckabee that appeared in todays Wall Street Journal. However I do think we need to move fast on this. I ask everyone to please link on their blogs and send in emails this excellent rebuttal to that article. That is The Roebuck Report post Fund's Assassination of Huckabee misleading.

As Huckabee supporters we have dealt with these silly charges before. However now that Huckabee is a major threat the knives are coming out. I have seen before how the political astroturfing on the net works. If you doubt me go to Google blogs and put in Huckbee and hit by date. I strongly suggest that Huckabee supporters also spend time and put this link and others in these bloggers comment sections. I have seen how opponents use the nets and blogs to spread false information. We need to move fast on this.

Nobel Scientist has a Few Things To Say About Aborting "Gay" babies

It seems that conservatives have been lampooned by the enlightened class this past year. We see this especially as to Science and things like stem cell research(By the way we support that just not when it involves the destruction of a life)..

How often we hear that the CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS IMPOSING THEIR MORALITY ON SCIENCE AND HOLDING US BACK. Of course as I have stated before I have no idea what or whom is this "Christian Right". I guess it includes Catholics because we have been raising the alarm bells on this for a while. Perhaps as we shall see gays will be be next as I will point out in this post.

The fact that science and morality cannot and should not be separated was brought home to me yesterday. I was rushing home to watch the ball game when I heard this piece on NPR yesterday. That is 'Identical Strangers' Explore Nature Vs. Nurture. Go listen to it. As someone that was adopted I was horrified. Turns out somebody wanted to do a scientific study on Identical twins in New York. So they found a number of Identical twins that were given up for adoption and proceeded to SEPARATE THEM in the adoption process. We are are talking flesh and blood bothers and sisters. That story I linked is what happens when ONE set of Twins find out what happen and meat decades later. They were not too pleased with what happen.

There has been a lot of controversy over the remarks that Nobel scientist James Watson made that "whites" are more intelligent than blacks.

Turns out that he had something to say about" gay" babies.
"If you could find the gene which determines sexuality and a woman decides she doesn't want a homosexual child, well, let her" abort."

Courageman has more here at More on the Mad Scientist .

Why is The Surge Working?

Tip of the Hat to From Burke to Kirk and Beyond... that led me to this post Why did it take so long to install General Petraeus? That blog ,Neo Necon, is one that I recalled enjoying reading a great deal but then lost it Burke to Kirk has found it for me again. The description of her blog is
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely leaving the fold and becoming that dread thing: a neocon. My friends and family don't want to hear about my inexplicable conversion, so I started this blog to tell the tale of my political change and provide a forum for others. I have a background as a therapist, and my politics make me a pariah in the profession, too. Little did I know that I moved in such politically homogeneous circles. Why the apple?

To be honest I have no idea what a Neo Con is anymore. It seems that it is used in a quite liberal way. Anyway her writing and insight is excellent and I shall be using it some on my posts dealing with Ron Paul supporters, Paleoconservatives, and fellow Catholics and Christians that think we are involved in a "unjust war". Something I dispute.

Louisiana Catholic Blogger Roundup For Oct 26th

SAINT JANE DE CHANTAL CATHOLIC CHURCH Abita Springs Louisiana. This is quite a charming town. If you are ever in New Orleans be sure to cross the lake and check it out.

Astonished Yet At Home has several good posts today. I have already highlighted the this post Favres and Faith . I agree with Tobias's sentiments here at My Favorite Cardinal Since Ozzie Smith . Gain the Whole World, Lose Your Soul is about Pat Buchanan talking about the temptation to vote for RUDY. I might comment on this later in a separate post today or this weekend. He also references the Wall Street Journal piece I mentioned earlier at Huckabee: Not a Real Conservative, Just Another Man from Hope, Arkansas? . He posts on a controversy here at Rudy and the Accused Child Molesting Priest . This is a link to a post he made on another great web site(Note I have added it to the links). Go to The Necessity of the Reasoned Language of Truth . Oh and check out his vid he has at Spoon - The Underdog .

I am glad one of Tobias's post caught my eye. While I was reading it I notice that Fr. Victor Brown’s Catholic Daily Message updated. He has a great mediation on the an important parable at Feast of Pope Saint Evaristus (26 Oct 2007).

Alive and Young again has a real funny post at Ancient Creed Meets Modern Technology

Catholic Tube of course has great vids as usual. I am noticing that his efforts are being linked to more and more on National and Worldwide basis. This vid has a Marian focus. Dr. Mark Miravalle talks about the roles of the many mediators between God and humanity in the Old Testament. He has a vid on Bella The Movie.

Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks has a post here And the Winner is.... I can't believe after promoting it I forgot to send my entry in!!!!

From The Recamier is still blogging away as she tours this great Country(And Canada ). In here latest entry she talks about a Saint I have never hear of but I intend to find out more about. That is Saint Crispin, Martyr (died 286). SHe tell us a lot of facts of the day including that Minnie Pearl, American country comedian at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville was born yesterday. Great read today. I love all the facts on Vincent Price too who dies on yesterdays date she tells us.

A Number of Things has a post up called The Loveliness of Autumn Leaves

We end with the Brown Pelican Society that as usual has a ton of posts and links
TODAY'S GOSPEL & MEDITATION - Signs of the Times
CHRIST(St Ambrose)
BAD COMPANY(St Elizabeth Ann Seaton)
School Health Centers Didn't Report Underage Sex
U.S. Bishops Prepare Document on Politics
SHORT CUTS
THE GIPPER
Praying for Aborted Babies
GOP Should Learn from Louisiana Election
Christian Conservatives: Engaged and Optimistic
Abortionist Ordered to Release Records of Woman's Death
"Homosexual Baby "Ad Campaign" a Bit Strange" Says Vatican Cardinal
Catholic Campaign For Human Development Awards $9.5 Million To Fight Poverty
400,000 Traditional Anglicans Ask For Full Communion With Catholics(This is Huge)
Sixty Pro-Life Groups Ask Congress to Block Funding Planned Parenthood
State Polls Show Support for Pro-Abortion Rudy Giuliani Dropping
Buchanan: A Giuliani Victory Means Right Retains Power But Loses Its Soul.....
American Life League Unveils New Online Map With Location of All US Planned Parenthood Centers
TODAY'S SAINT - Blessed Contardo Ferrini (1859-1902)

Green Bay Packers Brett Favre Wife Talks About Their Catholic Faith

Update -I just noticed that I did not have the correct link as to the second article. That has been corrected and now links to the Diocese of Green Bay Paper that has the full interview with Mrs Favre.

I am a big sports fan and I realize the impact of sports on culture, on youth, and society as a whole. Heck down here it is a religion. That is one reason why I try to highlight Catholic sport stars that make their faith a number 1 one priority. Whether they are Catholic football players at Yale or Mississippi State Baseball stars that become Catholic priests.

I was going through the blogs to prepare to do my Louisiana Catholic update when I saw Tobias had a great entry here about Green Bay Packer Brett Farve and his wife and how their Catholic is so important. It is a wonderful article. It is full of some facts I did not know such as :
Their Catholic faith was a key factor in Brett and Deanna's decision not to have an abortion when she became pregnant out of wedlock following her second year of college."We were always totally against (abortion)," she said, adding that putting their baby up for adoption was also not a consideration. Deanna said she "knew premarital sex was wrong, but for whatever reason" did it anyway. "I knew I would keep the baby," she said. Having Brittany meant that Deanna had to put her career goals on hold, but she said she was determined to do whatever she could to bring her up. During Deanna and Brett's on-again, off-again relationship during college and his early NFL career, Deanna said she often turned to prayer. The couple married in July 1996.

Good Read

I found the original article that is referenced and it is a good read too. Go here to see that. There are some further nuggets here.
Deanna credits her own mother, Ann Byrd, for giving her a strong religious foundation.
"She was a huge influence. We were brought up Catholic and we're still strong Catholics," she said, adding that she attended Infant of Prague Parish in Kiln, Miss., as a child.
"I just remember my mom always being involved in the church, reading the Bible every night," said Deanna. "She was just very adamant in teaching us and getting across the faith, all about being Catholic and the importance of going to church on Sunday."
When she's in Mississippi, Deanna attends a women's Bible study. "Usually there's a couple of Catholics in there," she said, "but a lot of times it's mostly Baptists. But it doesn't really matter. My mom's always taught me that Christ is the church."

If you wish to learn more about her foundation go her web site.

President Bush, Cuba, Fashion Super Models and The Breasts of Freedom

Supermodel Helena Houdova has used her "assets" in more ways than one.
I was really struck by a post that the Anchoress did today. I highly recommend that people go read Cuba, Bush and “The Lives of Others”. She recommends reading some of Bush's remarks on that regime that is 90 miles off our shores and then watching the movie "The Lives of Others". A movie that reminds us of that not so ancient history of Soviet and Communist repression.
There is a reason why Bush is so popular in Eastern Europe. Why the rest of us have amnesia they live in a land where it is impossible to do that. They remember how freedom was crushed.

This so reminds me of another person that spoke out. A person in a profession that we do not equate with political activism of this sort. However let us go down memory lane to last year.
Czech top model Helena Houdova, who was arrested in Cuba last week while taking photographs of Havana’s slums, told journalists that she will display the pictures she took at an exhibition portraying the island not only as a tourist paradise but also as a land of political oppression.
Houdova, Miss Czech Republic 1999, spoke to journalists today after returning from Cuba.
“The revolution’s watchmen rose up because I was taking pictures of something they do not like,” said the top model, referring to the fact that the Communist regime of Fidel Castro denies the existence of slums on the island.
Houdova was arrested along with psychologist and fellow model Mariana Kroftova. The two women spent 11 hours in police custody. They were not allowed to contact the Czech embassy throughout their arrest and could not communicate with their jailers in English. They in vain requested medical attention.
Upon their release, the women were requested to sign a statement saying they would not travel beyond Havana. They remained under police surveillance until their departure from the island. The women received the support of locals, as well as of Czech embassy employees.
The Cuban police confiscated the roll of film that was in the Czech women’s camera. However, Houdova managed to conceal the memory card of her digital camera inside her brassiere.
The pictures she thus saved will be included in an exhibition Houdova plans to organise together with People in Need (PINF), a Czech non-governmental humanitarian relief organisation with a track record of supporting Cuba’s pro-democracy opposition.
Houdova said the exhibition should portray Cuba not only as a country with beautiful nature, interesting architecture and a captivating atmosphere but also as a state where people are imprisoned for their beliefs.
Houdova said her meetings with dissidents, the wives of political prisoners, as well as with ordinary Cubans during her ten-day stay in Cuba made her recollect her childhood in Communist Czechoslovakia.
“I am not an expert on the political situation in Cuba but I think some kind of change is necessary there,” she said.
Houdova went to Cuba to find out whether her Sunflower foundation could assist the local children - orphans, the handicapped or those afflicted with AIDS. She pointed out that it is almost impossible to provide any assistance through official means because the Communist authorities refuse to admit anything in their country does not work.
However, Houdova personally ascertained the pathetic situation in several Cuban hospitals.
Although Houdova admitted she cannot predict how long Fidel Castro will manage to maintain his totalitarian regime on the island, she said she believes Cubans will soon live to experience liberty as have Czechs.
For the past two years, Houdova has been living mostly in New York and Los Angeles where she works as a model. At the same time, she tries to raise funds to help physically or socially handicapped children in different countries around the world.
The Czech Foreign Ministry has summoned the Cuban charge d’affairs in Prague to explain the conduct of the Cuban authorities in arresting the two Czech women.
The case provides additional evidence of the frosty nature of official Czech-Cuban political relations. Cuban officials have in the past described the Czech Republic as a lackey of the United States.

Well I expect that Eastern Europeans , Super models or not , and President Bush will continue to speak out on realities that so many of us want to take a vacation from.

Wall Street Journal Slam Piece on Huckabee-Part I

Update- Please see my latest Huckabee Supporters-PLEASE LINK AND EMAIL THIS REBUTTAL TO WSJ SLAM PIECE

I was reading my Catholic blog links and I see a piece on Huckabee at Vox Nova. Go to Huckabee Economics. I mentioned in the comments I would respond in more detail later as to this article from the Wall Street Journal. I really take issues with several parts of it. I shall do my best to do a point by point response on this blog later in the day.