What Catholic book are you reading now?

Now I'm reading "a Doctor at Calvary" by Pierre Barbet. It's an analysis of the Shroud of Turin and a pathology report combined. It's a bit hard to read with all the medical jargon, but I'm enjoying it.

My son turned 18 yesterday. There is something about that age that is special. He can go to the doctor without a parent. I have to have his permission to know his medical records. He can buy cigarettes and Playboy (or worse). He can legally leave home.

I know he is not ready to leave the nest yet, but the thought that he could if he wanted to is both a scary and a proud moment. I have done my best to be a good mom. I can't know for sure whether I have, but I sincerely think I have. Words can't express my love and pride for him.

I guess every parent asks the questions, "What will my child grow up to be?" and "Have I done a good job?" Only time will tell. God be with him.

The Archdiocese of St Louis web site has a response to current issues in the area. An organization called "Roman Catholic Womenpriests" announced in a news release dated October 15, 2007, that it would be undertaking a ceremony on November 11, 2007, at the synagogue building of Central Reform Congregation, St. Louis, that would purport to ordain two women to the Roman Catholic priesthood. The following article serves to present briefly the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the ordained priesthood and who may be admitted to Holy Orders. The article is followed by links to some helpful supplemental resources, and a perspective on concerns regarding interfaith relationships arising from Central Reform Congregation's hosting of the November 11 event.

http://www.archstl.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=173&Itemid=1

Here are some other cool web sites I found:
http://evangelization2.typepad.com/evangelization2_0/2007/10/love-to-be-ca-1.html
http://www.sqpn.com/
http://www.thatcatholicshow.com/
http://www.rosaryarmy.com/
http://www.lovetobecatholic.com/video_362_Divine_Mercy.html
Catholics need to use the web to spread the Gospel. These sites do exactly that.

I haven't been updating this blog lately. I've become involved in Christ Renews His Parish weekends. I attended my first one in March. I helped to lead one Oct 6-7. Now I am helping the next team to get ready for a weekend in February or March, 2008.
It amazes me how powerful these weekends are. The dozen participants were as thrilled as I was at how God touches hearts and renews faith. The saying, "It is more blessed to give than receive" is very true, because I was blessed by giving the weekend. I love passing on the faith. There is nothing better than knowing that the Holy Spirit has been working through the meager efforts of his people.
I am helping with the pre-RCIA sessions again. Last year, the parish didn't have many people who needed those sessions, so I took a break. This is another way I can pass on the faith. It is a thrill to see those I have instructed being baptized on Holy Saturday.
I have been busy with a couple writing projects this year. I wrote a thematic bible study and a piece that is in the Screwtape Letter genre. I want to find a publisher for them.
In July - August, the family visited Daytona Beach and Orlando, FL. We had a budget motel right on the beach. That's the first time our family has had that type of convenience. I liked it, because I could see if the waves were big enough to ride. If they weren't, I continued to read the two Harry Potter books we brought. I read number six and seven, so I finished the series while on vacation.
I loved them all and it will be strange to not be looking forward to the next book in the series. It was well worth reading all seven of these tomes. I don't read a lot of fiction and I don't write it either. However, I really admire J.K Rowlings' ability to spin a great, spell-binding (pardon the pun) tale.
The other book I read while on vacation was Peter Kreeft's Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I found the chapter on the Problem of Evil to be awesome. The part about how can God be both just and merciful really touched my heart. I have been pondering the merciful love of God since I read that page. It was an epiphany for me. The understanding of mercy has never been so real to me before. I want to tell everyone about it. I feel the muse (or is it the Holy Spirit?) telling me to start writing another bible study about it. Before I do that, I want to focus on getting the one I wrote published. It is such a waste to fill up my hard drive with writings that have never seen the light of day. So I better get back to writing that book proposal.

Winter Survival
My house was hit again by a power outage. In July, it lasted 4 days. This time it was 39 hours.
I've found out that what you need to survive a power outage is really different in the winter than in the summer. In July, we worried about melting frozen food, so ice and freezer space in someone else's freezer were critical. We dealt with 100 degree temps, so staying cool was a problem. That load of laundry that hadn't made it to the dryer yet was a problem.

This time there was no shortage of ice. There was plenty of snow we could put in the coolers for our food. The worry this time was whether the pipes would freeze and how our cats would stand up to the cold. We found places to put them in case we had to abandon the house.
Since we are all-season campers, we are more prepared than most people. We have a catalytic converter that heats with propane and another propane heater than can run for short spells, though carbon monoxide poisoning is a problem with that type of heater. We have a propane cooking stove so we could get some hot food. We have thick sleeping bags that let us sleep comfortably.
We keep plenty of flashlights and candles on hand in a place where we know where they all are.
We put foam over the windows and kept the drapes shut to keep the heat inside. We shut off two rooms and farmed out the kids to friends who had power. We visited friends when it got dark until bed time. Luckily, the temperature got above freezing in the day time. It would have been much worse if it had been bitter cold.

We learned quite a bit about survival this weekend. We need to be even more prepared for all seasons until our utility company finally decides to spend the money to trim the trees that keep knocking down power lines. Grrrrrr!

Zogby International Poll Contemporary Catholic Trends
http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1200
Support for U.S. Bishops leadership at highest level since sexual abuse scandal broke in 2002; nearly a third of American Catholics (62%) have done volunteer work in the past 12 months; more than half believe that most people can be trusted; 27% say they have at least 10 close friends.
As part of its ongoing project to track the views of American Catholics, Le Moyne College has released the findings of the latest Contemporary Catholic Trends (CCT) poll in conjunction with Zogby International. The survey included questions on trust, friendship, community involvement, and religious belief and practice. It also asked about Catholic approval of the performance of the pope, the U.S. bishops, and local pastors.
APPROVAL RATINGS FOR PASTORS, POPE, AND BISHOPS
Since October 2001, CCT has tracked American Catholics’ assessment of how well the U.S. bishops are leading the American church. In fall of 2001 before news of the clergy abuse scandal broke the bishops enjoyed an approval rating of 83% with 43% strongly agreeing and 40% agreeing that they were doing a good job. Support is currently at its highest levels since news of the scandal. In the latest survey 71% of respondents strongly (29%) or somewhat agree (42%) that the bishops are doing a good job.
A large majority of American Catholics (88%) strongly agree (69%) or somewhat agree (19%) that the pastors of their parishes are doing a good job leading the local church. The CCT asked respondents if they felt it would be a “good idea if parishes were to choose their own priest from among available ordained priests.” Answers speak to the issue of democracy within local parishes, and 48% supported the idea. A strong majority, 65%, of those who never attend say they approve the idea. The 2001 Survey of American Catholic Priests by Dean R. Hoge and Jacqueline E. Wenger found only 22% of priests supporting such a plan, suggesting a point of contention between leaders and laity.
Friendship and Trust
Recent research has found that Americans have fewer friends than in times past, with up to 25% reporting that they have no one to confide in (2004 General Social Survey). The CCT study finds that Catholics do not perceive themselves as unconnected. Respondents were asked how many people they “consider close friends.” Only 4% report having no one they consider a close friend, and 1% reported only 1 such friend. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) say they consider 10 or more people close friends.
Diversity of Friendships
Of those who reported at least 1 close friend, 79% report having a non-Catholic friend. Among the 94% with multiple friends, 55% report having Protestant friends and 29% say they have Jewish friends. Catholics are least likely to have atheist friends (18%) and Muslim friends (8%). About 35% reported having friends from more than 1 non Catholic religious tradition.
Trust
Respondents were asked if they believed “that most people can be trusted, or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people.” Fifty-one percent felt most people can be trusted, while 44% believed “you can’t be too careful.” The 2004 General Social Survey found that 36% of Americans said most people can be trusted. Asked about those who live in their own neighborhoods, 57% of CCT respondents said they could be trusted “a lot,” while about 12% said they could be trusted only “a little” or “not at all.” Less than a quarter of respondents, 24%, said that they trust the media to report the news fairly most or all of the time. About 20% said the media can never or almost never be trusted.
Volunteering and Charity
The Fall 2006 CCT survey contained a series of questions about volunteering and charitable giving. Over half of the respondents, 62%, said they had done volunteer work in the previous 12 months. The typical volunteer reported spending about 5 hours a month serving their community. Thirty-one percent said that most or all of that volunteer work was done in conjunction with a religious organization. When it comes to charity, 79% reported giving money to an organization, not including their parish, in the last year. Half of the respondents gave less than $300, while half gave more than $300.
Un-churched Catholics and Social Issues
Following a trend common among many religious groups, 20% of respondents who were born Catholic report that there was a time in their life when they left the Church. Overall, 10% of the respondents report that they do not attend Mass during a typical month. These non-attending Catholics differed from attending Catholics regarding a series of social issues. For example, a meaningful divide can be seen regarding the question of whether or not Catholic priests should be allowed to marry. Overall, 64% of respondents believe priests should be allowed to marry, but the proportion rises to 81% among the non-attendees. Regarding artificial birth control, 15% of those who never attend oppose its use, while 36% of those who attend at least occasionally oppose artificial birth control (opposition is highest among those who attend weekly or more, 43%).
Overall, Catholics are evenly split when asked if “all abortions should be illegal” (50% believe all abortions should be illegal, while 49% disagree and about 1% of respondents are undecided). Among those who never attend Mass, however, only 30% believe all abortions should be illegal. The divide regarding abortion is between those who attend every week or more and those who attend less than weekly. Fully 60% of those who attend mass weekly or more believe all abortions should be illegal.
Regarding capital punishment, a slight minority of Catholics (48%) say that the death penalty should be illegal, suggesting that the Church’s capital punishment teaching is largely disregarded. However, opinions differ by frequency of Mass attendance, with those who attend weekly or more the most likely to oppose capital punishment (53%).
Opposition to abortion and the death penalty are each elements of the “consistent life ethic” advanced by the U.S. Bishops, but only 29% of respondents reported such a combination of attitudes. The consistent life combination was most common among those who attend weekly or more (37%), while only 18% of those who attend less often endorsed both positions.
Financially Happy
A final note, 65% of respondents say that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their current financial situation.

Granite City Abortion Clinic Part Of Rape Investigation
Police in Arkansas say a Granite City abortion clinic is part of a rape investigation involving a juvenile. Jeffery Cheshier, 41, is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. Officers say he then forced the victim to have an abortion in Granite City.
Police in Bryant, Ark., say Cheshier began assaulting the juvenile last year. In October, he was arrested and charged with rape. The victim told police Cheshier had gotten her pregnant and forced her to have an abortion.
According to records obtained by Bryant police, the abortion was performed at the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City. Angela Michael frequently protests outside the clinic and police used a photo she took of Cheshier's car to prove he was there in March.
In Illinois, juveniles do not need parental consent for an abortion. When we asked the Madison County State's Attorney's Office if clinics are required to notify police when a juvenile has an abortion, we were referred to the Hope Clinic who told us such notification is not mandatory.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=107632

Frozen embryos have no right to life: Irish court
DUBLIN (Reuters) - A woman lost her fight to have a child without the consent of her estranged husband on Wednesday when an Irish judge ruled frozen embryos did not enjoy the same constitutional right to life as those carried in the womb.
Justice Brian McGovern said most agreed frozen embryos resulting from infertility treatment deserved special respect but ruled "the right to life of the unborn" in the Irish constitution did not extend to them.
"I have come to the conclusion that the three frozen embryos are not 'unborn'," the judge said in a landmark High Court ruling complicated by the fact that existing legislation does not define "unborn".
"There has been no evidence ... to establish that it was ever in the mind of the people voting on the Eight Amendment to the Constitution that 'unborn' meant anything other than a fetus or child within the womb," McGovern added.
The judgment means spare embryos frozen after successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 2002 will not be returned to the mother.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2006-11-15T174650Z_01_L15783683_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRELAND-EMBRYOS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22


Adult Stem cells help dogs with dystrophy
Missouri voters should have read this article before they voted Nov 7.
In promising new research, stem cells worked remarkably well at easing symptoms of muscular dystrophy in dogs, an experiment that experts call a significant step toward treating people. "It's a great breakthrough for all of us working on stem cells for muscular dystrophy," said researcher Johnny Huard of the University of Pittsburgh, who wasn't involved in the work.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_he_me/stem_cells_dystrophy

DNA from Neanderthal leg shows distant split
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have sequenced DNA from the leg bone of a Neanderthal man who died 38,000 years ago and said on Wednesday it shows the Neanderthals are truly distant relatives of modern humans who interbred rarely, if at all, with our own immediate ancestors.
They estimate that modern humans and Neanderthals split from a common ancestor at least 370,000 years ago, and possibly 500,000 years ago, although we share 99.95 percent of our DNA.
"We see no evidence of mixing 40,000, 30,000 years ago in Europe. We don't exclude it, but see no evidence," Edward Rubin of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, California, who led one study, told reporters.
This conflicts with some evidence from other researchers, including a team who said earlier this month that humans may have inherited a brain gene from Neanderthals.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-11-15T193028Z_01_N15369621_RTRUKOC_0_US-SCIENCE-NEANDERTHAL.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L3-Science+NewsNews-3

Woman Wins Religious Discrimination Case
SAVANNAH, Mo. (AP) -- Three years after she was fired for refusing to work on Sundays, Connie Rehm has won back her job on the staff of this small town's public library, and her employers have received a costly education in employment rights law.
A federal jury found in her favor after a three-day trial in May, and last month she was reinstated on a judge's order to the staff assistant job she had held for 12 years before her religious practice and the library's adoption of Sunday hours collided in 2003.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NOT_ON_SUNDAY?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Missourians vote NO on constitutional Amendment 2

On November 7, Missouri voters will decide if the State of Missouri will give constitutional protection to the cloning of human beings for research purposes while providing the biotech industry the unchecked authority and funding to conduct these unproven and unethical experiments.
Missourians Against Human Cloning is a coalition of Missouri citizens and organizations established to provide Missouri voters with the truth about this amendment to our state constitution. We are confident that when Missourians understand the truth about this initiative and its ramifications, they will oppose it wholeheartedly.
Please join our growing coalition. Stand-up and speak-out against government funded human cloning being enshrined in the Missouri Constitution.
http://nocloning.org/

I sure hope this thing does not pass.

Boy or girl? Sex selection by embryo screening
Many U.S. Couples Seek Embryo Screening
Boy or girl? Almost half of U.S. fertility clinics that offer embryo screening say they allow couples to choose the sex of their child, the most extensive survey of the practice suggests.
Sex selection without any medical reason to warrant it was performed in about 9 percent of all embryo screenings last year, the survey found.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060920/D8K8SV101.html

Sounds like Brave New World is coming true.

Skeleton Sheds Light on Ape-Man Species

NEW YORK (AP) - In a discovery sure to fuel an old debate about our evolutionary history, scientists have found a remarkably complete skeleton of a 3-year-old female from the ape-man species represented by "Lucy."
The remains found in Africa are 3.3 million years old, making this the oldest known skeleton of such a youthful human ancestor."It's a pretty unbelievable discovery... It's sensational," said Will Harcourt-Smith, a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History in New York who wasn't involved in the find. "It provides you with a wealth of information."
For one thing, it gives new evidence for a contentious feud about whether this species, which walked upright, also climbed and moved through trees easily.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060921/D8K8U6PO0.html

This doesn't shake my faith. God is still in charge of creation, even if it took longer than 6 days.

Roe v. Wade': The divided states of America
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two hours after South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds signed an abortion ban last month, NARAL Pro-Choice America blasted an e-mail to its supporters: "Is your state next?"The South Dakota legislation and the abortion rights group's warning are early skirmishes in a battle over what states would do if the landmark Roe v. Wade decision were overturned — though both sides concede that may never happen.
If it does, a fight that for three decades has focused on nine members of the Supreme Court would be waged instead among more than 7,000 legislators in 50 state capitals.
"Now is the time to get moving on this in Ohio," says Tom Brinkman, a state legislator who has introduced a bill to ban almost all abortions. Meanwhile, Kellie Copeland of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio is braced. "Our supporters feel the fight is coming back to the states," she says.
What would states do?
Ultimately, that would depend on factors ranging from who was governor to where public opinion stood. Even so, there are clues from what state legislatures have chosen to do already and what they're considering doing next.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-04-16-abortion-states_x.htm

Missouri would be a state that would be in the most pro-life category.

Tiller the Killer - Lock Him Up!
The infamous Tiller the Killer may have to do jail time for this.

Abortion Practitioner Who Killed Girl in Failed Abortion Hits Pro-Lifer With Car
Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A Kansas late-term abortion practitioner who killed a 19 year-old girl in a botched abortion last year has allegedly run over a pro-life person with his car who was praying outside his abortion business. George Tiller, who may soon find himself subject to a grand jury investigation, apparently struck the protester with his vehicle yesterday. http://www.lifenews.com/state1561.html

Unfortunately, this means the show will go on. Spreading lies, that is.
Judge Rules in Favor of 'Da Vinci' Writer LONDON (AP) -- A judge ruled Friday that best-selling author Dan Brown did not steal ideas from a nonfiction book, ending the suspense about whether the novelist committed copyright infringement in his thriller "The Da Vinci Code."
High Court judge Peter Smith rejected a copyright-infringement claim by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail," who claimed that Brown's blockbuster "appropriated the architecture" of their 1982 book. In the United States, the book is titled, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail."
A film based on Brown's book and starring Tom Hanks opens May 19.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DA_VINCI_LAWSUIT?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Boston -- We have a problem!

The Boston Archdiocese's Catholic Charities said Friday it would stop providing adoption services because of a state law allowing gays and lesbians to adopt children. Eight members of Catholic Charities board later stepped down in protest of the bishops' stance. The 42-member board had voted unanimously in December to continue considering gay households for adoptions.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GAY_ADOPTION?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Pope envisions greater role for women in the Church
Vatican, Mar. 03 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) believes that women should hold more positions of responsibility within the Catholic Church, although they cannot be ordained as priests.
"The Church owes a great debt of thanks to women," the Holy Father told priests of the Rome diocese during a 2-hour meeting on March 2. He cited the immense contributions made by women, mentioning St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bridget of Sweden, St. Hildegard, and Mother Teresa. Women should have "real and deep participation in the government of the Church," he said.
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=42769

Wal-Mart Decides to Carry Plan B Pill
Officials of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Friday the company will reverse its earlier policy and stock emergency contraception pills in all of its pharmacies effective March 20, saying the giant retailer could not justify being the country's only major pharmacy chain not to carry the morning-after pill.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WAL_MART_CONTRACEPTION?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Scant Drop Seen in Abortion Rate if Parents Are Told
For all the passions they generate, laws that require minors to notify their parents or get permission to have an abortion do not appear to have produced the sharp drop in teenage abortion rates that some advocates hoped for, an analysis by The New York Times shows.
....But providers interviewed in 10 states with parental involvement laws all said that of the minors who came into their clinics, parents were more often the ones pushing for an abortion, even against the wishes of their daughters.
"I see far more parents trying to pressure their daughters to have one," said Jane Bovard, owner of the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, N.D., a state where a minor needs consent from both parents. "As a parent myself, I can understand. But I say to parents, 'You force her to have this abortion, and I can tell you that within the next six months she's going to be pregnant again.' "
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/06/national/06abortion.html?ei=5065&en=f7533d9d64b1db54&ex=1142312400&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

Missouri Court Upholds 24-Hour Abortion Wait
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld the state's 24-hour waiting period for abortions, a decision that turns the focus of the legal battle to federal court.
The unanimous ruling Tuesday by Missouri's highest court focused on whether the 2003 law ran contrary to the state constitution. The judges rejected arguments that it was overly vague and deprived people of liberty and privacy rights.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ABORTION_WAIT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Mississippi House committee votes to ban most abortions

JACKSON, Miss. - A Mississippi House committee voted Tuesday to ban most abortions in the state - an unexpected move that left abortion opponents grappling to stake out a position on a proposal that could prompt a lengthy court battle
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/13984932.htm

Embryos are human beings, Pope insists
Vatican, Feb. 27 (CWNews.com) - Human embryos deserve the same protection as all other human beings, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) told an audience of scholars on February 27.
"The love of God does not distinguish between the newly-conceived infant still in its mother's womb, the baby, the youth, the grown adult or the elderly, because in each of them He sees the sign of His own image and likeness," the Holy Father said. He was speaking to participants in a conference on the human embryo, organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life.
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=42653

There has been a lot of good news on the pro-life front the last couple days. I guess it is motivated because Sam Alito is now a Supreme Court judge. When the court was so liberal, it seemed useless to pass pro-life legislation. Now there is reason for hope that Roe v. Wade can be overturned. I sense a lot more good news is on the way. Perhaps this is only the beginning. It is time to be optimistic again.

Ash Wednesday
So another Lent begins. What will I do different this year? How do I get closer to the Lord? Ordinary folks make New Year's resolutions. Catholics make Lenten resolutions. Hopefully, I will keep these better than I do New Year's resolutions.
I am taking a Paul VI Institute class on Liturgy and Sacraments. Since I am enjoying the class, does it count for a Lenten resolution? I guess Lenten resolutions can be something I enjoy, unlike the time when I gave up chocolate for Lent. That is one I can't keep anyway, so I won't do that again. At least I know I better do the work for my class or I won't get a good grade.

St. Joseph's Radio
St. Joseph's Radio is moving from California to Florissant, MO, which is pretty near where I live. I met the director yesterday. I am very excited to find out all the ways this ministry will operated in this area. They will be located at the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, which is a very historic site for evangelization. I think I will be able to help this ministry and learn new skills at the same time. This ministry has a national audience, which blows my mind with the possibilities for serving God!

Supreme Court Backs Abortion Protesters
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to abortion clinics in a two-decade-old legal fight over abortion protests, ruling that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban demonstrations.
The 8-0 decision ends a case that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had kept alive despite a 2003 ruling by the high court that lifted a nationwide injunction on anti-abortion groups led by Joseph Scheidler and others.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCOTUS_ABORTION_PROTESTS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

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I hope the folks suing Dan Brown win. I have friends whose faith has been damaged by "The Da Vinci Code". I don't know how anyone could fall for this, but they have.

Lawyer: 'Da Vinci' Ideas Are General LONDON — A lawyer for the publisher of the "The Da Vinci Code" argued in court Tuesday that ideas which two writers claim were stolen for Dan Brown's blockbuster novel are so general they are not protected by copyright. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186297,00.html

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I am interested in a Family mission project. Perhaps there is a project my family can do in the St. Louis area for a week this summer. We have 3 teens, ages 17, 16 & 14. Is there some way we could help the poor?
I was also toying with the idea of distributing literature about the Missouri cloning initiative door-to-door. I would like to promote the Catholic objection to this bill.
I wonder if other families with teens would be interested in doing this with us.

Happy New Year!
For Christmas, I got some video editing software. I've made my first movie and slide show. I was surprised how easy it was to do after I got the hang of it.
I created a movie about my ancestors. I put photos of them, maps of where they immigrated from, background music, and video of my mom talking about them. I did a voice over, added transitions, titles, and lots of cool stuff.
The DVD slide show I did has 7 chapters with buttons on a menu with background music. I think that is going to be useful. I want to do something cool with all the digital photos I have.
The hard part was rotating the photos to vertical in Photo Shop Elements. There were a ton of photos to do. I'm doing this for a neighbor just to learn how to do it.
I would love to start a business making custom movies and slide shows. I'm planning to teach my teens how to do it, since it is not hard at all. Maybe they'll end up doing something more constructive than playing video games on my computer.
The kids started back to school today, so the fun of the holidays is over. It is hard work getting kids to be responsible for homework, getting out the door on time, and getting to bed on time. So school is hard on parents as well as kids. So it is back to the grind until June.

St. Norbert Upcoming Events
Christmas Mass
Saturday December 24, 2005 Time: 4:00 pm, 11:30 PM Choir sings, Mass at 12:00 Sunday December 25, 2005 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM

SCRIPTURE STUDY GROUP
Beginning Wednesday, January 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. We will be using a scripture study book on forgiveness. This will be a great way to observe Lent.
To sign up or for more information, call Jo-Ann Conti at 838-6342 or Pat Drury at 839-4028.

Ongoing Events
MOM’S BOOK CLUB

A small group of moms from St. Norbert Church has been meeting to discuss wonderful Christian, nonfiction books. We are beginning a new book for the Advent and Christmas season and want to invite other interested women to join us. We will be reading “Cradle of Redeeming Love: the Theology of the Christmas Mystery” by John Saward. This book can be found on Amazon.com new or used and may also be in local bookstores. We will begin this book on Thursday, December 8th at 8:30 a.m. in the playroom at the McDonald’s near Schnucks, 1090 Shackleford Road. Children are welcome to come and play while we discuss this book. All women are asked to prayerfully consider joining us. If you have questions or wish to join, please call Tammi at 972-0635.

Bible Study
Small groups on the Holy Spirit continue to meet at several different times. Contact the Rectory to find a leader of the group that is at a time convenient for you.

The St. Norbert Yahoo e-mail group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stnorbert/ is for parishioners of St. Norbert Parish. It was set up to allow quick dissemination of information about upcoming events or neighborhood issues. Members may post and view items on the parish calendar.

Gee! It's been a long time since I updated this blog. I've been busy taking a Church History class from Paul VI Institute this fall. I had a couple hours a week to work on it. It is part of my certificate in lay ministry that I am working on.

I had a great time in my hometown for Thanksgiving. All 7 of my siblings were there, which is rare. It was fun to see the new members of the family -- the new spouse of my niece and nephew -- from the weddings we attended this summer. A new member will join any day because my nephew's wife is expecting. That will be the second great-grandchild for my mom.

I'm not in the mood for Christmas yet. It takes me awhile. It snowed today, which helps. I'm working on Christmas cards and a newsletter. I got out the Advent candles. I'm going to stuff the stockings for St. Nick's day when I get home. I forgot to do it last night, because I was helping my daughter create a web site for a class. My kids really like this tradition. I wish I could surprise them though. That was the fun part when I was a kid.

Death Penalty - A matter of life, death and social standing
September 26, 2005
Michael Lenza sounds like a reluctant opponent of the death penalty.
"I wish I could say the death penalty is fair, the worst people get it; if its a crime of passion, we're not executing them; we're not executing children; were not executing somebody that's mentally retarded or has severe mental disabilities," he said. "But we can't say that. We just can't."
Lenza has the facts and figures to back up what he says. The Bluffton University sociologist spent 6 years analyzing 19 years of capital murder cases in Missouri.
He concluded that when it comes to sentencing in death penalty cases, "almost everything matters except the crime." What matters most, his findings suggest, is the relative value society places on the defendant and on the victim.
Lenzas presentation Friday was based his doctoral dissertation, a study of the death penalty in Missouri from 1978 to 1996.
He examined 9,857 homicides which resulted in 152 death sentences. He found that defendants were more likely to be sentenced to death if they were young, poor, black or had a previous criminal record.
He found a black defendant who killed a white victim was 3 times as likely to receive the death penalty as a white defendant with a black victim.
Lenza's findings track with numerous other studies. A California study published last week suggested the race of the victim could be the most telling factor: A death sentence was most likely when the victim was white, far less so when the victim was black or Hispanic.
"When the jurors decide guilt or innocence, they're looking at the case. Then the trial stops. Then they have a new (sentencing) trial, and it's about the social relationships and the social standing of the defendant," Lenza said.
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/news.jsp?key=1805

Loose CanonsRole Reversal
The anti-war, anti-Bush MSM both here and abroad have reached a state of near-rapture. The president's problems, Tom DeLay's indictment, the diminishing support for the war and the growing (and healthy) fight between fiscal conservatives and big government Republicans has enthused them like nothing since the last helo lifted off from the American embassy in Saigon. They're ready to declare conservatism over. But, like the Washington Post's reports that Rep. Mike Pence's "operation offset" was dead, they will be proven wrong if actions take the place of speeches.
A little-noticed role reversal has occurred in American politics. The MSM are performing the service that Heritage, AEI, Cato, and the Hoover Institution provide for conservatives. The media have filled the political and intellectual vacuum that left the Dems entirely bereft of ideas, able to say nothing other than "no." Today the opposition party to the Republicans is not the Dems but the mainstream media itself. They write, they speak, and the Dems follow.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8830


Diesel Deliverance
"We could be driving powerful, stylish vehicles that get 35-45 mpg -- if we lived in Europe."
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8849
So don't buy a hybrid car anytime soon.

And they call this a crack down?
Gay priests 'must prove chastity for three years': Vatican
An upcoming Vatican document on gays and the priesthood says men who demonstrate homosexual tendencies cannot become priests unless they can show they have lived chastely for at least three years, an Italian newspaper reported today.
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=158372744&p=y5837345x


I heard it through the grapevine.
At least how we used to find out about the latest gossip. Now we get in from online, not the grapevine.
New draft translation of Mass prayers distributed to bishops
ROME (CNS) -- A new draft translation of the main Mass prayers in English has been distributed to bishops and was auctioned off Oct. 5 on eBay, the Internet auction site.http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0505666.htm


Too bad Terri Schavio's judges didn't hear this.
Italian man "understood everything" during 2-year coma
Oct. 06 (CWNews.com) - An Italian man who had been in a coma for 2 years has awakened and reports that he had been fully aware of his surroundings while he was comatose.
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=40026

Government failure, private success
by Michael D. Tanner
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4827
"While the response to hurricane Katrina has uncovered failures of government at every level - federal, state, and local - it has also revealed again the amazing generosity and effectiveness of America's private charitable efforts."

I've often thought exactly what this article says. You can't force people to be charitable by taxing them.