Rosary Crusade For Bishop-Elect Bambera

I pray you will all join me in congratulating Reverend Monsignor Joseph Bambera who is to be the tenth Bishop of Scranton.

I am proposing that all of my readers help him achieve the graces he needs to lead this troubled Diocese.

In the comments, leave the amount of rosaries you will say for Bishop-Elect Bambera from now until his ordination and installation on April 26.

These rosaries are greatly needed to help Bishop-Elect Bambera be the Bishop our Lord wants him to be.

So what are you waiting for? Get praying!

This Land Is Our Land

This post has nothing to do with the church, but from time to time I do post items of local significance.

Luzerne County dwellers: Do you know Mary Ann Petrilla is off all week?

I just found out because we just put in a call to her office to let her know that she cannot lease Moon Lake Park for natural gas drilling. Maryanne has been plotting to drill at Moon Lake since before they closed the park to the public over budget concerns.

The Traddy has some friends in the Sierra Club and we have partnered up to save the park and we have discovered that the deed granting the land that became Moon Lake Park states that the land is to be used only for "recreation, conservation, and historical purposes". It is also protected by the Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act. So, unless Petrilla has DCNR, the entire General Assembly of PA, and Fast Eddie Rendell ready to sign off, she'll be a bit surprised when she returns.

We intend to mount a vigorous defense of Moon Lake Park, and to remind the County Commissioners what "stewardship" means.

Looks like not all cash cows can be milked dry, eh Maryanne?

If you want to help us conserve Moon Lake Park for our families and future generations, send me an email for more info. We will need Luzerne County residents to attach their names to the lawsuit should one need to be brought.

More as it happens!

Bishop Bambera? Yep.

It's official. Yeah, they haven't had the presss conference yet, but they don't have to. Rome is in an earlier time zone, so it's already been announced.

Monsignor Joseph Bambera has been named by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI as the tenth Bishop of Scranton. It would seem that Bambera was the front-runner all along according to my sources.

What will the good Monsignor inherit? A Diocese in shambles. Mass attendance is down, weekly contributions are down, the faithful are in despair, churches are closing, many of them this spring and summer, and the dismantled school system goes deeper in debt as parents pull their kids out.

Is Bambera the man for the job? I really couldn't tell you what his accomplishments have been. He has never stayed in any given assignment for very long, but he has always gotten the good ones. Now he's got the best one in the Diocese.

He's a "people person", and he's a "good guy", is what I am hearing. Is he concerned with the salvation of souls? Or is he mainly concerned with the financial life of the Diocese? Has he been promoted beyond his ability? Let's pray the answer is "no".

I'm sure one of his first tasks will be to reinstate the teachers union and Michael Milz. Pretty much the first thing he did after he became Delegate to Cardinal Rigali was to have a meeting with Milz which Milz declared was "very encouraging." Let's hope he puts placating a union on the back burner and deals with the crisis of faith in the Diocese first. We need a strong shepherd with a firm grasp on true Church teaching.

Let us pray that he first looks to the disenfranchised Catholics, and to those that have lost their faith and looks to the salvation of their souls. That is what a shepherd does. Let's see if he's up to the task. If not, it's going to be a long seventeen years.

New Bishop Tomorrow!

I have heard that tomorrow we will have a new of Bishop of Scranton.

All the regular goings on for tomorrow at the chancery have been canceled.

Rumblings are that it is to be Monsignor Joseph Bambera himself.

Stay tuned here for the latest.

Update 10:16pm. The Diocese website had this announcement:

The Diocese of Scranton will conduct a news conference on
Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m.
The news conference will be broadcast live on Catholic
Television: CTV. It will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m.
A video of the news conference will also be posted on the
Diocesan website at www.dioceseofscranton.org

Examination Of Conscience Part Three

And here we continue with our Lenten Examination of Conscience. It seems as if God knew beforehand what a problem this would become. Go figure. And don't let sister catch ya...

Today we move onto the

Second Commandment:
Thou Shalt Not Take The Name Of The Lord They God In Vain

Sins contrary to the Second Commandment:

Dishonoring of God by profane or disrespectful use of the Name of God,
or of the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, the name of the Blessed Virgin
Mary and all the saints; blasphemy (speech or gestures that have
contempt for or insult to God, Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, the
Blessed Virgin Mary or the saints); perjury (to promise something under
oath with no intention of keeping it, or breaking a promise made under
oath); taking false or unnecessary oaths (to call on God to be witness to
a lie); breaking vows or promises to God; talking during Mass and in a
Church without sufficient reason or to the distraction of others.

Backpeddling?

More hair splitting from the Anti-Diocese. Their PR firm must have told someone at the chancery how bad a 15.5 million dollar total deficit looks, so now they are trying to make it look a bit better. It doesn't.

From the Citizen's Voice:

A letter published Thursday in The Catholic Light from interim leader of the diocese Cardinal Justin Rigali cited a diocesan "deficit" of $15.5 million in fiscal year 2009, but by conventional accounting standards the actual operating deficit for the year was $3.1 million.

The figure cited by Rigali, and then reported by The Citizens' Voice, includes shrinking value in diocesan assets like the value of investments, and growing liabilities like bad loans and pension obligations - which do not bear upon actual revenue and expenses of the annual budget.

The Diocese of Scranton's actual deficit for fiscal year 2009 totals $3.1 million, increasing from a $502,460 deficit reported in 2008.

Major factors were a $3.5 million decline in revenue, led by a decrease in investment income, special collections and the Diocesan Annual Appeal.

Separately, the diocese did see a $15.4 million decline in the net value of its assets. Of that, $7.1 million were provisions for loan losses, many from parishes that cannot repay money borrowed to fund Catholic schools. Another $3.6 million of the 2009 asset decline is related to long-term effects of changes to the pension system, according to the financial statements.

The diocese's total liabilities now exceed its total assets by $26.1 million, or 25 percent, according to the financial statement published in the diocesan newspaper.

Communion In The Hand? Bad!

Another reason to ban communion in the hand. Watch closely as the girlfriend of the Costa Rican Presidential hopeful thoughtfully munches on Our Lord, then, having consumed too much white flour, she tucks the left over Jesus into the shirt pocket of her boyfriend. Perhaps some dip is in store for Jesus later in the day?

Isn't time the gutless shepherds who allow this sort of thing to continue take a stand to stop the sacrilege? This type of thing happening once should be enough, but our Bishops take a firmer stand on protecting modernism than protecting the Blessed Sacrament.

More scandal brought on the Church by modernism. Thanks Vatican II!

And thanks to Catholic Caveman who posted the vid.

The Ugly Truth

Everyone has seen this I gather? The story where the Diocese of Scranton announced a nearly 15.5 million dollar deficit?

Has anyone else noticed that the school system is always blamed for not bringing in enough money? Cardinal Rigali wrote that nearly 4 million in investments were sold off "in order to meet operating losses related to the diocesan schools."

Every time we turn around it seems some person from the chancery is telling us how dire the situation with the schools is.

I predict the Diocese schools will be shuttered for good in 5 years.

They could have saved themselves and the faithful a whole lot of anguish if they had fessed up, said the schools weren't paying for themselves and announced they were getting out of the education business.

Then they could focus on the salvation of souls.

This Diocese is in such dire straits it might be better idea to simply start from scratch. What do YOU think?

I do know this for certain, the Diocese is suffering and it will require all of our prayers and fasting to help bring things right. Try to do your part this Lenten season and pray for your Diocese. It's the only one you have.

Don't Forget!

Catholics! Do not forget to head to Hazleton's Our Lady Of Grace Church this Sunday for the first celebration of the Extraordinary Form at 12:15! The address is 12th and Vine Streets, Hazleton.

Hope to see you there!

Examination Of Conscence Part Deux!

Yesterday we began our Lenten examination of conscience by learning which sins are contrary to the First Commandment. Today we continue with sins against faith, hope, and charity.

Sins against Faith:
Willful doubt of any article of faith; deliberate ignorance of the truths of
faith which ought to be known; neglect of instructing oneself in the faith
according to one’s state in life; rash credulity (e.g. giving credence to
private revelation too easily or believing in a private revelations which
has been condemned by the lawful Church authorities); apostasy; heresy;
indifferentism (to believe that one religion is as good as another, and that
all religions are equally true and pleasing to God, or that one is free to
accept or reject any or all religions); reading or circulating books or
writings against the Catholic belief or practice in such wise as to
jeopardize one’s faith; to remain silent when asked about one’s faith;
engaging is schismatic or heretical worship; joining or supporting
masonic groups or other forbidden societies.

Sins against Hope:
despair of God’s mercy (to give up all hope of salvation, and the means
necessary to be saved) or want of confidence in the power of His Grace
to support us in trouble or temptation; no desire to possess eternal
happiness in heaven or after this earthly life; presumption (to hope for
salvation without help from God or to assume God’s forgiveness without
conversion, or to hope to obtain heavenly glory without merit);
presuming on God’s mercy or on the supposed efficacy of certain pious
practices, in order to continue in sin; refusing any dependence on God.

Sins against Charity:
not making an act of charity at regular intervals during life especially
during times of necessity; egoism (one cares only about himself, praises
himself, selfish, enjoys receiving praise) wilfully rebellious thoughts
against God; boasting of sin; violating God’s law, or omitting good works
through human respect.

Most likely on Monday we will pick up with the Second Commandment. Stay Tuned!

Drop That Bacon!

Remember, today is the first Friday of Lent. No meat today!

Our Church Belongs To Us!

Here is a great article written by John Zmirak of Inside Catholic. Be sure to go and read the rest.

All Your Church Are Belong To Us
By John Zmirak

"Why do you people care so much about externals?" my non-Trad friends sometimes ask me. And they deserve an answer. A few weeks back, my delightfully contentious colleague here, Mark Shea, waded into the conflict between those who describe themselves simply as "orthodox" Catholics, and those who consider themselves "traditionalists." (Just to save space in the comments box, I mean by this term people who favor the traditional liturgy -- not those who associate with organizations under ecclesiastical suspension.)This line has begun to blur more and more in the wake of Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum, which we Trads greeted as a kind of Emancipation Proclamation -- even as many of our bishops answered it with liturgical Jim Crow.

Still, the division is palpable. It was lying right there on the table, for any who cared to palpate it, last week when I went to dinner with a Trad-minded colleague and a visiting author who'd come to speak at our college on G. K. Chesterton. (The presentation was riveting, and I highly recommend Dale Ahlquist's talks and books.) Like the good Mr. Shea, our speaker is a convert, and he shared with Mark a puzzlement at the apparent fixation traditionalists have on restoring former elements of the liturgy and other Catholic practices that are not essential, and resisting innovations that are not inherently evil. Having come from churches that didn't have the Eucharist, and remaining through God's grace flush with gratitude for the sacraments, many converts really don't understand what the rest of us are nattering on about. We who grew up privileged may seem like sulky, spoiled kids. We owe these good people an explanation.

Sometimes they think we just care about aesthetics. One visit to a Sunday Latin Low Mass without music, recited soundlessly into a marble altar, should put that idea to flight. Compared to a Novus Ordo liturgy in the vernacular, and from a purely human point of view, attending Low Mass can be dull. You feel like you are eavesdropping. If you follow along in the missal, you can feel that you are watching a very solemn foreign film without any subtitles, except that you have the screenplay. There's a reason the old rubrics relegated Low Mass to weekdays, and called (though they were rarely answered) for sung Solemn Mass on Sundays and holy days. Pope Pius X wasn't kidding when he asked for parishes to revive Gregorian chant and teach it to the laity. Nor is there any good reason why Latin Mass congregations don't give the responses along with the servers -- except perhaps the fear that this is somehow the first step down a long road that leads to clown Mass. Get over it, fratres.

Other people think that we are a band of Latin scholars, desperate to put our dusty declensions to practical use. Again, one conversation with the congregants at the coffee hour will dash that infant theory against the rocks. Most of us studied Latin, if at all, as part of vocabulary practice for the SATs, and follow the English side of the missal. I don't know a single Traditionalist who wouldn't prefer the old Mass, facing the altar, said in English, to the Novus Ordo chanted in Latin facing the people. While the universal language of the Church is still to be revered for all the reasons that Vatican II prescribed in Sacrosanctum Concilium, it isn't Why We Fight.

Continue

Santo Subito? I Think Not.

I promised some time ago to write on this topic, but have not felt motivated to do so. I am now.

I made mention that I did not think John Paul II was a good candidate for Sainthood. Now calm down, I know he was popular and everybody loved him, he was a rock star, yadda, yadda.

That doesn't make him a Saint. And while I am not doubting his virtue or his sincerity, the failures of the late Pontiff were in his role as a shepherd and guardian of the Deposit of Faith.

And please don't leave me comments bemoaning the fact that I did not know his heart and all of that guff. I know what he did and what he didn't do, and that is all I need.

Here's a few of the stupid things he did, which the Pope should never do.

1. He kissed the Koran. Plus he actually said the words "I receive the word of God" If the word of God is contained anywhere in the Koran then the Catholic faith is a sham. There are Martyrs of the Church that died rather than kiss the Koran. He did it willingly.

2. He refused to reign in his Bishops who worked diligently to destroy the faith of Catholics worldwide.

3. During his reign the Catholic Church had fallen deep into disrepair. The current crisis in the Church is a direct consequence of his inability to shepherd it and his nurturing of the false "Spirit of Vatican II".

4. He allowed, promoted, and engaged in heretical gatherings at Assisi, standing among pagans, joining in their rituals. Never once did he try to evangelize them, giving scandal to the faithful and Holy Mother Church.

5. In Evangelium Vitae he contradicted 2000 years of Church teaching when he wrote that unbaptized babies go to Heaven. His error was later removed by the Vatican.

6. Let's not overlook his "World Youth Day" rock extravaganzas! Previous Popes behaved with decorum and modesty. Not this one.

In my opinion, Pope John Paul II brought scandal to the church, he disgraced the office of the Papacy by his poor Catholicity, he left virtually nothing of the faith to hand down, not to mention his many intentional breaks with Tradition. A bad Pontificate.

An Examination Of Conscience

In having private conversations with priest friends I have heard this over and over - the story about the parishioner who told their priest they had nothing to confess. The story is always told in confidence, no identities revealed, no details given on actual confessions by the penitent, but the thing that constantly grates on me is the inability of the everyday Catholic to recognize sin.

Since the Second Vatican Council there has been in the Church a concerted effort to marginalize sin. Whether this was purposeful is up for debate, but I cannot find in any Vatican II document where it was mandated. That being said, it must have come from somewhere else. The re-writing of the Council, the re-interpreting of the Council is where these post VII people went astray.

But the fact remains that it is very rare to enter a Catholic Church today and hear a sermon on sin. I do not mean a sermon where the word "sin" might actually be used, but a sermon focusing entirely on sin is the rarity.

As we all know (I hope) it is required of us to partake of the Sacrament of Confession during the Easter Season. It is my hope that you all will go to confession during the Lenten Season to help prepare yourself for the joy of Easter. Before we actually go to confession though, it is necessary to do an examination of our conscience to see where our faults lie.

So lets actually make an examination of conscience using the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church as our guide to see if we are truly committing sin or not.

Let's start at the beginning

The First Commandment:
I Am The Lord Thy God; Thou Shalt Not Have Strange Gods Before Me

Here is the list of sins which are contrary to the fist commandment. Are you ready?

Neglect of prayer; ingratitude toward God; spiritual sloth; hatred of God
or of the Catholic Church; tempting God (explicitly or implicitly, e.g. by
exposing one’s self to danger of soul, life, or health without grave cause);
not behaving reverently when in church (e.g. not genuflecting to the
Blessed Sacrament when entering or leaving the church, etc.); excessive
attraction to things/creatures (e.g. over-affection to animals, sports
fanatic, having movie star /music/TV idols, love for money, pleasure or
power); idolatry (worshiping false gods such as giving honor to a creature
in place of God (e.g. Satan, science, ancestors, country); superstition
(ascribing powers to a created thing which it does not have); hypnotism
(without sufficient cause); divination (communication with Satan,
demons, the dead or other false practices in order to discover the
unknown, consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, fortune
telling); attaching undue importance to dreams, omens or lots; all
practices of magic or sorcery (e.g. witchcraft, voodoo); wearing charms;
playing with Ouija boards or rotating tables; spiritism (talking with the
spirits); sacrilege (profaning or treating unworthily the Sacraments,
especially the Holy Eucharist, and other liturgical actions, as well as
religious persons, blessed things such as sacred vessels or statues, or
places consecrated to God); sacrilege by receiving a sacrament, especially
the Holy Eucharist, in the state of mortal sin; simony (buying or selling
of spiritual things); profane or superstitious use of blessed objects
(sometimes done in order to remain in sin); practical materialism (one
believes he needs and desires only material things); atheistic humanism
(falsely considers man to be an end in himself, and the sole maker with
supreme control of his own history); atheism in general (rejects, denies
or doubts the existence of God, either in theory or practice, i.e. ignoring
Him in the daily living of our lives); agnosticism (postulates the existence
of a transcendent being which is incapable of revealing itself, and about
which nothing can be said or makes no judgment about God’s existence
declaring it impossible to prove or even to affirm or deny).

And that's not all for the First Commandment, folks! Tomorrow, we shall look at sins against Faith, Hope, and Charity. See ya then!

Quote Of The Day

"I hear all around me innovators who want to dismantle the Holy Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, throw away her ornaments, give her a remorse of her historical past. Well my dear friend, I have the conviction that the Church of Peter must assume her past or she will dig her own grave."

- Venerable Pope Pius XII

USCCB Scandal Updates!

The latest from Michael Voris from RealCatholicTV on the shameful USCCB scandal concerning YOUR U.S. Bishops giving the hard earned money YOU donate to them away to organizations that support abortion, gay marriage, etc. Now it seems that the lefty U.S. Catholic magazine, sensing that the gig is up, has lept into the fray defending the action of the Bishops Conference.

Will the shame never end for the Church in America?

A Major Victory!

This should give the modernists at the chancery a fit or two! The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei has clarified some important points concerning Pope Benedict's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. Pay close attention to the bold areas of 2 and 3.

Thanks to the New Liturgical Movement

1. If there is no other possibility, because for instance in all churches of a diocese the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum are already being celebrated in the Ordinary Form, the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum may, in the same church in which they are already celebrated in the Ordinary Form, be additionally celebrated in the Extraordinary Form, if the local ordinary allows.

2. A Mass in the usus antiquior may replace a regularly scheduled Mass in the Ordinary Form. The question contextualizes that in many churches Sunday Masses are more or less scheduled continually, leaving free only very incovenient mid afternoon slots, but this is merely context, the question posed being general. The answer leaves the matter to the prudent judgement of the parish priest, and emphasises the right of a stable group to assist at Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

3. A parish priest may schedule a public Mass in the Extraordinary Form on his own accord (i.e. without the request of a group of faithful) for the benefit of the faithful including those unfamiliar with the usus antiquior. The response of the Commission here is identical to no. 2.

4. The calendar, readings or prefaces of the 1970 Missale Romanum may not be substituted for those of the 1962 Missale Romanum in Masses in the Extraordinary Form.

5. While the liturgical readings (Epistle and Gospel) themselves have to be read by
the priest (or deacon/subdeacon) as foreseen by the rubrics, a translation to the vernacular may afterwards be read also by a layman.

Priests! Get out there and exercise your God given right to celebrate the Extraordinary Form on a regular basis! And if any modernist Monsignors give you any guff, you let the Traddy know!

I'm absolutely serious! You guys go get trained, and I can help you with that, then start your Mass and I will be there, plus a bunch of other people. Tradition isn't going away, and while this "Anti-Diocese" as I call it is trying with all its might to resist the storm Papa Benny is blowing, they cant hope to hold out!

The Holy Spirit moves the Church, and eventually the Scranton Diocese. Not the Bambera Spirit. Tradition will win.

Why Monsignor Bambera?

There is some good news coming out of Washington: On April 24, at our National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception there will be a Pontifical Mass in the EXTRAORDINARY FORM celebrated by his Eminence Dario Cardinal Castrillion Hoyos, former President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

While you wouldn't catch anyone at the Scranton chancery office actually celebrating the Extraordinary Form at our OWN Cathedral, here we see the Cardinal coming to America's Cathedral to help celebrate His Holiness' 5th year as the Successor to Peter.

They are looking for donations to help EWTN broadcast this Mass, which I'm sure the Diocese would rather pre-empt in favor of some riveting Dan Gallagher commentary, but anyway, please donate here to help defray some costs.

In other news, Edward Cardinal Egan will also celebrate a Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form (see a pattern here?) on March 25 at the Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan. This same church is where our retired Bishop with a love of Tradition, James Timlin, also celebrated a Pontifical Mass at the request of the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny.

He just can't celebrate one when asked by a similar local society in his own Diocese, it would seem. Right, Monsignor Bambera?

Andrea Tornielli ran a post where he states that worldwide since Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum took effect roughly 138 Bishops or Cardinals have celebrated Masses according to the liturgical books of 1962. We can't even get the Scranton Diocese to recognize the authority of the priest to say the Old Mass without Monsignor Bambera coming down with a case of apoplexy.

Just about two years ago there were several locations where the Extraordinary Form was available in this Diocese namely Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Plains, Nanticoke, and Hazleton.

Now only Scranton and Hazleton is left. What about Tioga county? Bradford? Wayne or Pike? Susquehanna? Monroe?

Guessing the agenda of the chancery office is not a difficult task. While the Extraordinary Form is on the rise throughout the Church, here in the backwards Diocese of Scranton it is the opposite. The Old Mass is disappearing, and those few priests who dare to offer it get harassed and eventually are sent away. Punished. For doing what it is their right to do.

Because, as Pope Benedict clearly wrote in his Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum "...each Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal published by Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, and may do so on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum. For such celebrations, with either one Missal or the other, the priest has no need for permission from the Apostolic See or from his Ordinary."

You read that correctly Monsignor Bambera. A priest doesn't need permission from his Ordinary. So says the Pope. And you aren't the Ordinary, (in case you didn't know). So where does that power come from that you wield so mercilessly over the cowering priests of this Diocese?

"But Traddy!" you say. "Didn't the chancery just start a new Latin Mass?"

Well, if you meant to say "didn't the chancery just wipe some crumbs off their table for the traditionalists?" Then yeah. I would agree.

Plans were afoot as I reported here to get a priest trained so say the Old Mass, and to have a Mass said regularly in Wilkes-Barre to replace the one we lost last year. But when Bambera and his gang got wind of the news they did everything they could to obstruct our plans, they bullied the priests involved and inserted themselves fully into the plans and disrupted everything.

But I am quite convinced that if some priest wanted to have an ecumenical love-in with the local Protestants at his parish where they would be performing some pseudo catholic-like mass thingy complete with guitars, tambourines, and grape juice, that would have been greeted with joyful weeping and confetti strewn into the air from those at the chancery.

Oh wait! That's called the "Neocatechumenal Way" and they've already been welcomed into the Diocese. If I'm not mistaken, they've actually held their little "revival meeting" type clown masses at the Cathedral.

But when Tradition is touted it is a thing to be regulated. Watched closely. Discouraged. Stopped.

Why is that Monsignor Bambera? Why do you bully priests with a sense of Tradition for veiling the chalice? For wearing black vestments? For wearing traditional roman vestments? For doing things that the Church has always done? Why is tradition scorned and innovation praised?

I almost forgot to mention the other place to attend the Extraordinary Form in the Anti-Diocese of Scranton.

The Society of Saint Pius X has a chapel in Pittston. Many may start to go there if chancery officials don't get a sense of the shifting wind, get with the program, and allow priests to use the Extraordinary Form without intimidation and threats.

But Monsignor Bambera wouldn't know anything about that, right?

"Catholic" No More!

Nice to see a Bishop that wasn't castrated at ordination!

PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- The Diocese of Baker has ended the church's official sponsorship of central Oregon's largest medical center, citing the hospital's refusal to adhere to some Catholic teachings.

Baker Bishop Robert F. Vasa said St. Charles Medical Center in Bend "gradually moved away" from church ethical and religious standards and can no longer be called Catholic.

"As bishop, I am responsible for attesting to the full Catholicity of the hospitals in my diocese, a responsibility which I take very seriously, and I have reached the conclusion that I can no longer attest to the Catholicity of St. Charles," Bishop Vasa wrote in the Feb. 18 issue of the Catholic Sentinel, diocesan newspaper for Portland and Baker.

The main point of contention is tubal ligation, a form of permanent female reproductive sterilization.

"It would be misleading for me to allow St. Charles Bend to be acknowledged as Catholic in name while I am certain that some important tenets of the ethical and religious directives are no longer being observed," the bishop said in a statement issued jointly with hospital officials.

The statement said the decision was difficult for all involved.

Mass will no longer be celebrated in the hospital's chapel and all items considered Catholic will be removed from the hospital and returned to the church. The St. Charles name will remain the same and the cross will remain on top of the building.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Ind., founded St. Charles 92 years ago. In the 1970s, the hospital became a community nonprofit organization with the sisters remaining as sponsors.

In 1992, when the sisters decided they could no longer sponsor St. Charles because of the smaller number of sisters, an "association of the Christian faithful" took up the duty of making sure the hospital's Catholic identity was preserved. At the same time, control of policy and operations went to a board of directors.

Bishop Vasa said the association's structure did not give it sufficient authority to control the tenets of Catholic identity as expressed in the U.S. bishops' "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services." In 2007, the bishop asked St. Charles officials for an audit of compliance with the directives. He identified problems and began talks, which hit an impasse.

In the joint statement Feb. 15, hospital administrators and the bishop said they have "respectfully disagreed" on the meaning of some of the directives.

"We are saddened by this decision because of the 92 years of history the St. Charles Bend hospital has had with the Catholic Church," said James Diegel, president and CEO of Cascade Healthcare Community, the parent company of St. Charles. "But, we have an obligation to provide comprehensive health care services to our patients while remaining true to our values of compassion and caring for all."

Diegel said the Cascade Healthcare board of directors intends to continue using the ethical and religious directives as they have been interpreted by the hospital. Bishop Vasa has encouraged the hospital to stay as close to the directives as possible in the future.

"This is not a condemnation of St. Charles, it is a sadly acknowledged reality," Bishop Vasa wrote in the Sentinel.

The bishop said he is convinced that the St. Charles board genuinely thought the ethical and religious directives were voluntary and optional and board members now cannot see a way to move back into compliance.

How Does Taking A Shorter Shower Help Me Get To Heaven?

Here is today's Vortex. Dioceses across the country are doing some pretty stupid things, right Monsignor Bambera? But here we see what heights can be reached when the modernists try really hard.

A New Old Mass!

Well, it seems that the chancery has thrown a bone to the traditionalists.

The Diocese has decided that there will be a Mass in the Extraordinary Form this and every Sunday at 12:15 PM at Our Lady of Grace Church, 12th and Vine Streets, Hazleton.

Never mind that a majority of the folks who attended the Old Mass in Wilkes-Barre were elderly and can't get to Hazleton. They don't give that much money that we have to worry about seeing to their spiritual needs.

In the meantime, please plan to support the St. John Neumann Latin Mass Community as they prepare to celebrate the return of the Old Mass to the Hazleton area. God be praised!

Latin Mass News

There is news concerning the St. John Neumann Latin Mass Community and the southern most border of the Diocese. Stay tuned, true believers.

To the right is a photo of the UNDECAYED remains of St. John Neumann and our own Cardinal Rigali as they redressed him in some proper Roman Vestments a few years ago. The Saint died in 1860.

Prophecy Warns 2010 Start of Fatima Chastisement

Serious stuff here, folks. Pay attention to what's happening around the world and PRAY. Even if it is nothing but some crazy guy, if you do penance and pray the rosary, you have already improved yourself.

Not a bad plan, that.

By the way, you can read Duke's blog.

A visionary from the Philippines, Duke Puntalangit, warns that the Fatima chastisements will begin this year 2010. According to the visionary, the Middle East crisis will eventually result into an all out war, though limited in that region, afterwhich, a revolution originating from Russia, will engulf Europe. These series of events will cause chaos and bloodshed in all major cities in Europe, the Pope will be murdered in exile, the global economy will plunge deeper, consequently giving the window of opportunity for Russia and China to execute militarily against Europe and the US.

The visionary further elaborates the chastisement as a series of events which he divides into two, namely, the eruption or reawakening of Marxism (Communism) through a revolution in Europe and then the nuclear confrontation of US versus Russia. The US, he says, will be severely affected, economically and politically by the Middle East War and the revolution in Europe. The US will also suffer internal civil disorder which will greatly affect its government's capability to function.

Puntalangit warns that mankind has entered a point of no return and that the chastisements are now non-conditional. He did not elaborate why mankind must suffer the chastisements but instead pointed to the Vatican with the claim that all the while the Pope had the key to world peace but didn't use it. He however emphasizes that the Virgin Mary's prophesied victory will definitely happen but will be realized only after the annihilation of several nations and the election of a new pope who will accomplished the request of the Virgin Mary for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart.

The visionary gives the following which he said are the immediate signs prior to an unexpected revolution in Europe which will usher in World War III:

1. A papal visit to Russia. This will be the last sign and immediately follows the bloodshed in Europe.

2. The signing of an aggreement, military in nature, between US and Russia. This will happen immediately prior to the nuclear war.

The above events, Puntalangit states, are the immediate signs of the looming human catastrophe. In addition to the above, Mr. Puntalangit advices everyone to focus on current events directly associated with the Catholic Church and Russia, the Middle East, and US-Russia arms negotiations, as awareness of these may help the faithful to become prepared, vigilant and prayerful. The visionary further warned that only one-third of mankind will survive the war and out of this one-third only one-fourth will survive the three days of darkness which will occur a few years after the World War. Hence, he claims, we can expect only five hundred million will be alive to witness the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Mr. Puntalangit can be contacted through dukepuntalangit@yahoo.com

Are You Ready?

It has always been tragic I think, that the Church no longer treats the pre-Lenten Sundays as it has in the past, which helped prepare us for our Lenten journey. These days, the faithful attending Novus Ordo parishes receive virtually no preparation for the season.

Bang! It's ash Wednesday!

Wasn't it just Christmas?

For those of you who may not know, the Latin name for Lent, Quadragesima, means 40 and refers to the 40 days our Lord spent in the desert, which of course, is the origin of the season. The last two weeks of Lent are known as "Passiontide", which is made up of Passion Week and Holy Week. The last three days of Holy week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday make up the Sacred Triduum.

The focus during Lent is the Cross and penance, penance, and more penance as we seek to imitate our Lord with forty day of fasting. Finish up the Paszki's and King Cakes today, tomorrow it is all over!

Your whole way of thinking during this Season should be changed. It should be one of reparation for your sins. As much as you are able, your focus should be on how you can serve God in a reparative way.

One of the ways to make reparation is to fast and abstain. The Church lays down guidelines for fasting. According to the 1983 Code of Canon Law the rule for the Universal Church is to abstain from meat on Fridays, and to add a fast to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

You might want to adhere to the older form of Lenten mortification:

Ash Wednesday, all Fridays and Saturdays: Fasting and total abstinence. Three meatless meals, with the smaller meals not equaling the large one. And no snacking(!)

Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays: Fasting and partial abstinence. Three meals where meat may be eaten at the main meal, with the two smaller meals not equaling the large one. And no snacking.

Of course, there are other great Catholic traditions which have been lost to the majority, one of which is this great recipe for fish stew. The Traddy household will be awash in this Ash Wednesday eve.

Fish Stew (serves 8)

6 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chopped yellow onions (about 2 medium)
2 cups chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
2 cups chopped fresh fennel
10 small tomatoes, diced (about 1 pound)
2 TBSP tomato paste
4 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 TBSP sugar or to taste
2 TBSP fennel seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 pounds fish, (e.g.cod, sea bass, halibut and red snapper fillets) cut into 1-inch pieces

In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the garlic and onion for about 3 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add the celery and fennel, and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, wine, water, parsley, sugar, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the fish, cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, or until fish is cooked through but still firm. Serve immediately in heated, shallow soup bowls.

See? You come here expecting pure religion, and you get a recipe to boot!

I will be updating the blog during Lent with some readings of our Church Fathers, so be sure to tune in for that as well as my regular posts.

Have a blessed Lenten Season!

Sisters Teach Oprah!

One of the big stories of the past week is that the Dominican Sisters of Mary agreed to appear on the Oprah show. AS you can imagine, Oprah is not viewed in my home, so I have not seen the show. If you would like to view the episode, I have it below in four easy to watch segments. Enjoy.

Thanks to Sentire Cum Ecclesia

Lefebvre The Movie

It seems that a documentary is being made about the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It is no secret that I am a fan of His Excellence, and that much of what we have accomplished concerning the reclaiming of our Traditions is due to his steadfastness to the faith.

Interesting.....

Entertainer Steve Corbett over at WILK was going on yesterday wondering where our new Bishop is.

I was listening on my way home and only heard his intro for his return from the news break, where he went so far as to allege that politicians and business people are the real ones who choose Bishops. I don't really know to what extent he slandered the Church, but I can imagine.

This is the same Steve Corbett who only last week went on a seemingly unending tirade over being featured in the "Rube Lomax" gossip Column in last week's Times Shamrock publications.

Here's some news for the "newsman" Steve Corbett: If you are a public person, and you make your living talking about people, don't be surprised to find yourself in the gossip columns.

As far as the search for our next Bishop, there are Dioceses that have been waiting for a shepherd far longer than we have, so I wouldn't expect anything anytime really soon. This is a long process, and I am praying that the Holy Spirit has much more to do with the choice than our civic and political leaders.

What say you?

New Layout!

I have been fiddling with the blog. Tell me what you think about the new look. Please look around and let me know if you find any problems. Thanks.

What's The Buzz?

Over at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre they are looking for a director for their May production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The news I hear is that Tony Alberti, local theatre veteran and flaming homosexual wanted to direct the play, but the board of directors shot him down when he revealed his plans to have gay and lesbian "apostles", and the show would have been set in a NYC bar!

I wonder what it is with gays and their attempt to corrupt everything with their gayness. I know the phrase in creative circles nowadays is "I want to make this show relevant to people today". Jesus Christ Superstar probably doesn't need your help staying relevant.

It seems you and your gay friends are the ones seeking to be relevant in a society that doesn't really care, so you are constantly trying to find new ways to shock and awe the normal people, and then cry bigotry and equal rights when people go off on you.

LTWB , my hat is off to you, bravissimo!

What A Pig!

Not that I, your humble Traddy is big on disparaging pigs, as they taste good, but only expletives came to mind while watching Sarah Silverman's latest attempt at comedy, so I went with pig. Don't watch this with children present, and here is your

WARNING:Crude images and language. But then that's what passes for entertainment today. Unfortunately, you'll also have to look at Bill Maher for a few sconds......

More Scandal!

I Missed It

I really did. I don't know if I didn't expect it to be on so early in the game, or just that I didn't know who she was, but I paid no attention to the Pam and Tim Tebow ad. Here's the one which actually aired during the game last night.





What was the fuss about?They didn't even mention the "a" word. I actually like the ad, and thought the unexpected bit of slapstick was great. Good job with the ad says the Traddy!

UPDATE: Apparently there is a buzz in the blogosphere that this ad was a waste of time and money. I don't know what the pro-life movement expected to see air during the Super Bowl. The ad was touching, funny, and directed the viewer where to get more information if they wanted it. The ad wasn't targeted at those already committed to the pro-life movement, as that WOULD be a waste of resources. It communicated a mother's joy at the life of her son, and the courageous choice she made to continue her pregnancy despite her doctors advice. The ad was inoffensive and frankly, spot-on target!

The pro-choicers, in screeching their defiance over the ad, have revealed that they are not pro-choice as much as they are, as I have said repeatedly, just pro-abortion. To them, pro-choice really means killing your baby. They want nothing to do with the women who choose to keep their baby. For them, there is no choice other than death.

Also, in a world of Tiger Woods and all these other punks in sports whose only concern is a paycheck, it is outstanding to see Tim Tebow take a stand on the right side of an issue.

So, to all the pro-lifers who got to see apro-life ad during the Superbowl but don't think it went far enough, give it time. We can win more converts to our side if we do it carefully, with tact and reason. Good job, Focus on the Family!

POP QUIZ! What's Mentioned In The Bible 90 Times By Jesus?

Everyday, roughly 150,000 people die. That's a huge number, 150,000. So that means that if everyday roughly 150,000 people die, roughly 150,000 souls makes their journey from this life to the next.

How many of those souls are thrown into Hell?

If roughly 150,000 people die everyday, then that boils down to roughly 100 die every minute.

So, lets say 'Christine' just passed away and has made her journey to the afterlife.

'Christine' was a nice girl. She liked kittens, she helped out her local cat rescue and gave money to her local animal shelter.

But 'Christine' was just thrown into Hell.

'Christine' had no religion to speak of. She was just a nice person.

But right now 'Christine' is burning in Hell.

"But Traddy!", you say "God is merciful. He wouldn't throw a nice person like Christine into Hell!"

Well, in the post Vatican II world, where black is white and vice versa, that's most likely what you've come to understand about God and his mercy. But the reality is quite different.

Jesus Christ, our savior, mentioned Hell 90 times throughout the Bible.

90 times.

He mentioned Heaven just 27 times. So clearly he had an agenda.

When Saint Paul wrote his 12th Epistle to the Phillipians he said: "...with fear and trembling work out your salvation."

Fear and trembling?

Was Saint Paul frightened that he would end up in Hell?

You betcha.

And you should be too.

Catholics today have lost their sense of sin, and along with it, their fear of Hell. Hell and sin is not only barely mentioned in the Novus Ordo church, preaching about this doctrine of the church today is actually frowned upon.

People don't like to hear about it. It makes them uncomfortable. It causes them to squirm in the pews. We all know that all you have to do is be 'nice'.

'Nice' isn't mentioned in the Bible, folks. Look it up.

But Hell is.

90 times.

By our savior, Jesus Christ.

If Jesus Christ is our savior, what did he come to save us from? Bad people? Bad movies? Bad curry?

He came to save us from Hell. And yes, His mercy is infinite - on this side of the aisle. When we cross over to the next life and we find ourselves in His presence for our judgement, He is no longer merciful. He's not our cosmic buddy who wants to hug us like the new age movement in the church would like you to believe. He is the Just Judge. The time for mercy and for being forgiven "...seventy times seven." as Matthew wrote in chapter 18 is over. Now it's time to face the music for our actions.

So now, lets go back to 'Christine'. She's been burning in Hell for a few minutes now. She has been cursing God. Damning Him. For her pain and suffering which is what she deserves, she is cursing God. While unimaginable pain and suffering is coursing through her body she is cursing God. And it won't end anytime soon. It will go on for eternity.

How long is eternity? Eternity means forever. If we get a pebble in our shoe, we stop everything to get rid of it right away. Because we don't like it, it's uncomfortable. But 'Chrisitne' will suffer endlessly, with no hope of parole. She will burn forever. Tonight when you go to sleep, she will be burning.

Tomorrow when you get up she will still be burning.

In the 66th chapter of Isaias' prophecy we are told "... And they shall go out, and see the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched: and they shall be a loathsome sight to all flesh." In like fashion, Saint Mark wrote "...And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished."

You see, in Hell, there is no peace. No love. Only hatred and suffering. Remember when I said 'Christine' is cursing God? It's because that is all that is left for her in her desperation. Our prayers cannot help poor 'Christine' who is "...consigned to flames of woe", as Mozart's Requiem said. 'Christine' will suffer for all eternity. Dante correctly placed above the gates of Hell this motto: "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here". For there is no hope, no peace, no love, nothing but torments and pain.

Why am I telling you this? To save you. It is not me being mean, it is not fear-mongering, it is the truth, as revealed to us by our Lord and savior. We hear the truth so rarely in the Novus Ordo church, that I have to tell you, because they won't say it. You probably don't want to hear this either, because you have grown up in a church that tells you it's ok to pick and choose for yourself what you believe.

It's not.

You have been commanded to do certain things in a certain way. If by your actions you do not follow God's will, then you will be "consigned to flames of woe" for all eternity. You make the choice to follow God or not. Noone else to blame. You. You either do it or you don't.

And let's set someting else straight about God. God doesn't throw you into Hell. You throw yourself. You make the decisions in your life. You have been given free will to do as you please. Most choose unwisely, I'm afraid.

It's that simple.

You see, God HATES sin. He hates when you sin. He hates when I sin. Sin cuts off our souls from the grace of Almighty God. It slowly pinches off our relationship with him until it is no more. And then if we die in sin, we go to Hell. That's it. Hell.

Forever.

But if we are lucky enough to work out our salvation, and die in a state of grace, we live forever with Him in Heaven, we will reach our goal.

Well, it SHOULD be our goal. Getting to Heaven. That should be everyone's primary goal, and getting our loved ones there should be our goal as well.

We are called to do so, to help our friends and neighbors find the narrow path. That's what "love thy neighbor" means. Not giving them that cup of sugar they want to borrow, or the hedgeclippers. Help them get to Heaven. Keep them out of Hell, that's love.

But it's not easy, I know that. It's hard enough to find the path ourselves and stay put. But that's what we must do.

And 'Christine' continues to burn in the everlasting, the unquenchable fire.

What can you do that 'Christine' didn't?

Well for starters, you can go to Mass every Sunday. On time. If Mass begins at 9, don't show up at 9:10. And don't leave before the priest does, either. Show respect to our Lord and stick it out. It's really not that tough.

Get to confession. Remember how I mentioned God forgives infinitely on this side of the aisle? Take advantage of it. I understand most Catholics today believe they are living saints, with much adoration due to them, but let me give you another sobering dose of reality.

You aren't. Get yourself to confession. The pitifully short lines for the confessional shows that there is much more other than your salvation on your minds. Knock it off. Go to confession. Often.

Follow his Commandments.

Love one another as he loves us. Remember who came to earth and who died upon the cross for our sins because we could not possibly pay the price of our transgressions ourselves. He had to pay the price. He suffered, was tortured, and died a terrible, unimaginably painful death so that you and I could enter the gates. Don't screw up the opportunity He has presented you with.

This is what he Church teaches us. More important, this is what Christ teaches us through His church. Take advantage before it's too late.

And 'Christine'? Well, she continues to burn in Hell. Please do all you can to void her fate.

God bless you.

By Their Fruits...

And so the scandal continues, and no one speaking on behalf on the conference will come forth and answer the allegations. How can this be? How do they think they can ignore it? Spread the word about the evils of the USCCB.

Watch this video for more info.

The Koran Challenge

I think I've posted this before, but I like to revisit oldies and goodies!

Odd Silence

That's what we get from the USCCB on the latest scandal that is swirling around. Maybe they think this is just going to go away.

So here's today's update on my favorite (NOT!) Bishop's conference. For those of you just joining us, for a decade now (probably longer) the United States Conference of 'Catholic' Bishops has been giving MILLIONS of your contributions to social justice groups which fight against Church teaching.

Since someone OTHER than myself is finally pointing out that the USCCB has no ACTUAL authority why are we still screwing around with them? These guys have set themselves up in their own little faux Vatican down there in DC, where they elect each other to faux positions with important sounding titles and hire liberal laymen whackjobs to make ridiculous liberal whackjob policies.

Oh. And let's not forget they give your hard earned money to groups that LOVE to abort babies.

I've had enough of them.

Maybe it's time you did too.

Giants For Life

Sometime after my New York Giants won the 1986 Super Bowl, (yay!) a pro-life video was produced with many of their players. Can you imagine what would happen if something like this were done today? The liberals would be having fits.

Enjoy.

Champions For Life from American Life League on Vimeo.

I Am Stealing This

Because sometimes, information is given out on a blog that is so instrumental to the well-being of the Catholic family, that I have to share it.

Thanks to Joe at Defend Us In Battle because I had no idea this existed!

This is just a quick plug for a Catholic Dad's Online community:

http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/

It is a great online community (where I have started to contribute... and look forward to doing more of it). It is a place where Dads, and even child-less men can learn a thing or two about family, faith, and themselves.

Check it out and consider joining if you run a blog!

PS:

Mom's - don't fret there are sites for you also:

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/

http://new.catholicmom.com/

An Update On Our Situation

There is precious little news to report on our sizable Latin Mass community as we await news from Scranton.

I would ask all of you to pray and do penance in the hopes that soon there will be happy news to report.

Way To Go!

I just went over to 'American Catholic', and the top three stories were all about Haiti.

Two of their six 'Recent News' stories were also about Haiti.

Can we give it a rest, please?

One would think there is nothing else to report on in the world other than Haiti.

And for a 'Catholic' website to not have any news whatsoever on the USCCB scandal is an abomination.

We Have A Victory!

Well it seems the homeless have won one.

The Sugar Notch council has changed the zoning allowing the Holy Family Church to 'legally' host the homeless, while allowing the council to save face.

This is good news, when we can come together to do what we know is right for these unfortunates. May God bless all involved.

Who Rules Our Bishops?

Is the hard-earned money YOU give to the Church STILL going to support abortion and gay marriage? It would seem so. The USCCB, never one of my favorite topics of conversation, is in the center of another scandal about the caliber of organizations the USCCB gives YOUR contributions to. Check this out!